resilience
ri-ZIL-yunss
/rɪˈzɪl.jəns/
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
In a professional context, resilience isn't just about 'surviving' stress; it's about 'bouncing back' and learning from failure to become stronger.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'resilire,' meaning 'to leap back' or 'to recoil' (re- 'back' + salire 'to jump'). It was originally used in physics to describe materials that spring back into shape.
Word relationships
- fortitude: Fortitude is courage in pain or adversity; resilience is the ability to bounce back after the pain.
- fragility: The quality of being easily broken or damaged.
Commonly confused with
- persistence: Persistence is keeping at something without stopping; resilience is starting again after you have been stopped.
Word family
- resilient (adjective): Able to recoil or spring back into shape.
Collocations
- emotional resilience
- build resilience
- resilience in the workplace
Example sentences
- "Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. The goal of resilience is to thrive." Inspirational quote.
- "The company's resilience during the economic downturn was due to its diversified product line." Business analysis.
Memory hook
Resilience is like a 'rubber' band; it 'resiles' (leaps back). The power to bounce back.
When not to use
Don't use it for physical strength; it's about the ability to return to an original shape or state of mind.
Fun facts
- The term was first used in the 17th century by clockmakers to describe the springiness of certain metals.
Related words
Also appears in
- Business → Work-Life Balance
- Technology → Ecology & Climate Science
- Psychology → Psychological Resilience & Coping
- Philosophy → Stoic & Classical Philosophy
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Civil Infrastructure
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Supply Chain Engineering
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Biomimicry in Design
- Environmental Policy & Sustainability Economics → Sustainable Agriculture & Farming
- Environmental Policy & Sustainability Economics → Disaster Mitigation & Resilience
- Health Sciences → Mental Health & Well-being
- Military Science & Warfare → Veterans & Post-Conflict Trauma
- Psychology → Child & Adolescent Development
- Psychology → Trauma & Coping Mechanisms
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Combat Sports & Martial Arts
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