resilience
ri-ZIL-yuns
/rɪˈzɪl.jəns/
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness; the ability of a substance to spring back into shape.
In engineering, it's specifically about absorbing energy and returning to the original state without permanent damage.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'resilire,' meaning 'to leap back.' Imagine a spring being compressed and then leaping back to its original position—that is the heart of resilience.
Word relationships
- elasticity: Elasticity is the physical property of stretching; resilience is the broader ability to recover from any stress.
- fragility: The tendency to break or fail under slight pressure.
Commonly confused with
- resistance: Resistance is fighting against a force; resilience is absorbing it and bouncing back.
Word family
- resilient (adjective): Able to withstand or recover quickly.
Collocations
- build resilience
- structural resilience
- climate resilience
Example sentences
- "The resilience of spider silk allows it to absorb the impact of a flying insect without snapping." Discussing material properties.
Memory hook
Resilience: It's like a 'Rubber' band. It stretches but returns. The bounce-back factor.
When not to use
Don't use 'resilience' if you just mean 'strength.' A diamond is strong but not resilient (it shatters).
Fun facts
- The most resilient animal on Earth is the tardigrade, which can survive the vacuum of space.
Also appears in
- Business → Work-Life Balance
- Business → Professional Development
- Technology → Ecology & Climate Science
- Psychology → Psychological Resilience & Coping
- Philosophy → Stoic & Classical Philosophy
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Civil Infrastructure
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Supply Chain Engineering
- 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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