resilience
gb/ɹɪzˈɪliəns/ us/ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
C1
property
1
ability to recover from difficulties
the ability to be strong again after something difficult
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s resilience (in/after/through [situation])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use resilience to mean simple patience; it usually suggests recovering and coping effectively after a setback.
Synonyms
toughness (More general strength; resilience emphasizes recovering after stress.)
|
hardiness (Suggests enduring harsh conditions over time.)
|
grit (Emphasizes persistence and determination, not necessarily recovery.)
Antonyms
fragility (Easily harmed or broken; the opposite of bouncing back.)
|
vulnerability (Being easily hurt or affected by difficulties.)
Collocations
emotional resilience
|mental resilience
|personal resilience
|inner resilience
|remarkable resilience
|build resilience
|develop resilience
|show resilience
|resilience after trauma
|resilience in hard times
Themes
emotions
|health
|personal_development
|psychology
Examples
- Her resilience helped her rebuild her life after the accident.
- Children can develop resilience when they have supportive adults around them.
- It took time, but his resilience eventually returned after the loss.
Learner examples
- She has a lot of resilience.
- Resilience helped me after a hard year.
Noun
business
C1
property
2
capacity to withstand disruption
how well a system can keep working during problems
Usage pattern:
resilience of [system/organization/community] (to [risk/event])
Common mistake:
Do not confuse resilience with resistance: resistance focuses on not being affected; resilience includes adapting and recovering after being affected.
Synonyms
robustness (Focuses on strength and reliability; resilience highlights recovery and adaptation.)
|
fault tolerance (Technical term for continuing to operate despite failures.)
Antonyms
instability (Tending to fail or change unpredictably under stress.)
|
brittleness (Breaking under pressure rather than adapting (often metaphorical).)
Collocations
organizational resilience
|operational resilience
|supply chain resilience
|economic resilience
|infrastructure resilience
|climate resilience
|improve resilience
|resilience planning
|resilience strategy
|resilience measures
Themes
business
|government
|technology
|environment
Examples
- The city invested in flood defenses to increase its resilience to extreme weather.
- Remote work improved the company’s resilience during the transport strike.
- Backup servers add resilience when the main system goes down.
Learner examples
- The plan improved the system’s resilience.
- The town needs resilience after storms.
Noun
technical
C2
property
3
elastic spring-back of materials
how well a material springs back after pressure
Usage pattern:
the resilience of [material]
Common mistake:
In this sense, resilience is about physical materials, not people or emotions.
Synonyms
elasticity (Very close; elasticity is the general property of stretching and returning to shape.)
|
springiness (More informal and descriptive, less technical.)
Antonyms
brittleness (Tending to crack or break instead of flexing and returning to shape.)
|
inelasticity (Not returning to the original shape after deformation.)
Collocations
high resilience
|low resilience
|material resilience
|impact resilience
|resilience testing
|resilience rating
|foam resilience
|rubber resilience
|resilience under pressure
|resilience of the fabric
Themes
materials
|science
|manufacturing
Examples
- The shoe sole’s resilience keeps it comfortable after long use.
- This foam has high resilience, so it quickly returns to its original shape.
- Engineers measured the material’s resilience under repeated impacts.
Learner examples
- The foam has good resilience.
Grammar
Dictionary form
resilience
IPA
GB/ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
US/ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
Syllables & stress
re - si - li - ence (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (si)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: resilience
- Plural: resilience
Expressions
build resilience
1/bˈɪld ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
fixed phrase
develop coping strength
to become stronger after problems
Examples
- Daily exercise can help you build resilience to stress.
- The program teaches teenagers how to build resilience and confidence.
community resilience
1/kəmjˈunɪti ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
fixed phrase
community recovery after shocks
how well a community can recover after a crisis
Examples
- The grant funds projects that strengthen community resilience to wildfires.
- Local networks played a key role in community resilience after the storm.
emotional resilience
1/ɪmˈoʊʃənəl ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
fixed phrase
recovery from emotional stress
staying emotionally strong after problems
Examples
- Therapy helped her improve her emotional resilience.
- Good sleep supports emotional resilience during stressful periods.
operational resilience
1/ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
fixed phrase
business
keep operations running during disruptions
keeping a business running during problems
Examples
- The bank reviewed its operational resilience after the data-center outage.
- Operational resilience depends on backup plans and clear roles.
resilience in the face of adversity
1/ɹɪzˈɪliəns ˈɪn ðə fˈeɪs əv ædvˈɚsɪti/
fixed phrase
formal
strength during hard situations
staying strong when life is hard
Examples
- Her resilience in the face of adversity inspired everyone around her.
- The book tells stories of resilience in the face of adversity.
show resilience
1/ʃˈoʊ ɹɪzˈɪliəns/
fixed phrase
recover strongly after setbacks
to stay strong and recover
Examples
- After losing the first set, she showed resilience and won the match.
- The team showed resilience by coming back from a two-goal deficit.