resistance
Other forms: resistances
If you've ever seen a dog on a leash suddenly refuse to walk any farther, you know how much resistance one little pet can put up. Resistance means "refusal to comply with or accept something."
An individual person can put up resistance against something she disagrees with or doesn't want to participate in. On a larger scale, groups of people and even whole countries can display resistance, like when the British put up resistance against Napoleon. Another meaning of resistance is "the ability not to be affected by," like a resistance to getting colds, which you can imagine as your immune system putting up a fierce resistance against invading germs.
Definitions of resistance
-
any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion
-
types:
- show 7 types...
- hide 7 types...
-
friction, rubbing
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
-
acoustic impedance, acoustic reactance, acoustic resistance
opposition to the flow of sound through a surface; acoustic resistance is the real component of acoustic impedance and acoustic reactance is the imaginary component
-
drag, retarding force
the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
-
abrasion, attrition, detrition, grinding
the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice
-
adhesive friction, grip, traction
the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)
-
sonic barrier, sound barrier
the increase in aerodynamic drag as an airplane approaches the speed of sound
-
windage
the retarding force of air friction on a moving object
-
type of:
-
mechanical phenomenon
a physical phenomenon associated with the equilibrium or motion of objects
-
the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with“he encountered a general feeling of resistance from many citizens”
-
synonyms:
opposition
-
types:
- show 4 types...
- hide 4 types...
-
lockout
a management action resisting employee's demands; employees are barred from entering the workplace until they agree to terms
-
reaction
doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like
-
anti-takeover defense
resistance to or defense against a hostile takeover
-
backlash
an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
-
type of:
-
action
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
-
group action in opposition to those in power
-
types:
- show 15 types...
- hide 15 types...
-
confrontation, opposition
the act of hostile groups opposing each other
-
sales resistance
resistance by potential customers to aggressive selling practices
-
defiance
a defiant act
-
contravention, dispute
coming into conflict with
-
obstructionism
deliberate interference
-
dissent, objection, protest
the act of protesting; a public (often organized) manifestation of dissent
-
rebellion
refusal to accept some authority or code or convention
-
insubordination, rebelliousness
an insubordinate act
-
boycott
a group's refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization in protest against its policies
-
strikebreaking
confrontational activities intended to break up a strike by workers
-
direct action
a protest action by labor or minority groups to obtain their demands
-
demonstration, manifestation
a public display of group feelings (usually of a political nature)
-
walkout
the act of walking out (of a meeting or organization) as a sign of protest
-
contumacy
obstinate rebelliousness and insubordination; resistance to authority
-
disobedience, noncompliance
the failure to obey
-
type of:
-
group action
action taken by a group of people
-
a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force
-
synonyms:
underground
-
types:
-
Maquis
the French underground that fought against the German occupation in World War II
-
type of:
-
revolutionary group
a political unit organized to promote revolution
-
Maquis
-
the military action of resisting the enemy's advance“the enemy offered little resistance”
-
type of:
-
action, military action
a military engagement
-
action, military action
-
an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current
-
synonyms:
resistor
-
types:
- show 5 types...
- hide 5 types...
-
ballast, ballast resistor, barretter
a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations)
-
potential divider, voltage divider
resistors connected in series across a voltage source; used to obtain a desired fraction of the voltage
-
rheostat, variable resistor
resistor for regulating current
-
dimmer
a rheostat that varies the current through an electric light in order to control the level of illumination
-
pot, potentiometer
a resistor with three terminals, the third being an adjustable center terminal; used to adjust voltages in radios and TV sets
-
type of:
-
electrical device
a device that produces or is powered by electricity
-
a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms
-
types:
-
ohmage
the ohmic resistance of a conductor
-
type of:
-
electrical phenomenon
a physical phenomenon involving electricity
-
ohmage
-
the capacity of an organism to defend itself against harmful environmental agents“these trees are widely planted because of their resistance to salt and smog”
-
type of:
-
capability, capacity
the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment
-
capability, capacity
-
(medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease
-
synonyms:
immunity
-
types:
- show 6 types...
- hide 6 types...
-
immunogenicity
the property of eliciting an immune response
-
acquired immunity
immunity to a particular disease that is not innate but has been acquired during life; immunity can be acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease or by a pregnant mother passing antibodies through the placenta to a fetus or by vaccination
-
innate immunity, natural immunity
immunity to disease that occurs as part of an individual's natural biologic makeup
-
active immunity
a form of acquired immunity in which the body produces its own antibodies against disease-causing antigens
-
passive immunity
an impermanent form of acquired immunity in which antibodies against a disease are acquired naturally (as through the placenta to an unborn child) or artificially (as by injection of antiserum)
-
racial immunity
natural immunity shared by all members of a particular race
-
the degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria)
-
type of:
-
deadness, unresponsiveness
the quality of being unresponsive; not reacting; as a quality of people, it is marked by a failure to respond quickly or with emotion to people or events
-
deadness, unresponsiveness
-
(psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness
-
type of:
-
involuntariness, unwillingness
the trait of being unwilling
-
involuntariness, unwillingness
Pronunciation
US
/rɪˈzɪstɪns/
UK
/rəˈzɪstəns/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘resistance'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing resistance
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for January 21–January 27, 2023
Stories about Oscar nominations, young magazine editors, and Earth's rotating core all contributed words to this list of vocabulary from the week's news.
The Old Man and the Sea
Santiago is a luckless Cuban fisherman who struggles to land a giant marlin. In spare, searing prose, Hemingway transforms the story of one man's battle with nature into a heroic ordeal.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up resistance for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
