Agency Dictionary

Resilience

nounPronunciation: /rɪˈzɪl.i.əns/

Psychology & Mind

What does “Resilience” mean?

The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.

Etymology

From Latin resilire, to spring back, itself composed of re- (back) and salire (to jump, to leap). The English noun adds the suffix -ence. In English it first named the act of rebounding, then the elastic property of materials, before spreading to psychology, where it names the capacity to recover from adversity without permanent damage.

Usage note

The word is common in psychology, coaching, and organizational discourse. It describes the capacity to recover, not simply the absence of distress.

Synonyms

toughness
hardiness

Word family

resilient
resiliently

Usage examples

Better ideas, more creativity, more determination, more resilience, these are all consequences of when you have a healthy relationship with yourself, but for me, self-knowledge is very much a synonym for spiritual knowledge.
Creative.11 - Thiago Patriota
Plants’ roots are known to anchor the plant in the soil and through resilience, grow far beyond its origin, fairly because they need to reach out nutrients in a resource competition.

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Words of the same theme

vocationnoun: A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
Synchronicitynoun: The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
Stigmanoun: A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
clevernessnoun: The mental quality of being quick-witted, agile, and ingenious in solving specific situational problems.
collective consciousnessnoun: The set of beliefs, ideas and feelings shared by the members of a society, which exists beyond any single person. By extension, what a community knows and repeats in common.
Abyssnoun: A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
Adversitynoun: A state of severe hardship, difficulty, or misfortune that tests resilience and moral endurance.
Affectnoun: An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
Anesthetizeverb: To administer an anesthetic to eliminate physical feeling, or figuratively to numb emotional or critical awareness.
anesthetizedadjective: Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.
Anesthetizingadjective: Producing numbness, insensibility, or temporary relief from pain and critical awareness. In media studies, it describes content that pacifies audiences into mindless consumption.
Arrogancenoun: An offensive display of superiority, self-importance, or overbearing pride that disparages others and their contributions.

Also from these editions: terms

Antithesisnoun: A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
briefingnoun: A concise set of instructions or background information provided to guide a project or creative assignment.
Authenticitynoun: The quality of being real, genuine, and true to one's own character or stated origins.
Bifurcationnoun: The division of something into two separate branches, directions, or parts.
Catharticadjective: Providing psychological relief through the open expression and release of strong or repressed emotions.
Contextualadjective: Depending on, relevant to, or determined by the surrounding circumstances or environment.
Differentiationnoun: The act or process of distinguishing between two or more items or establishing uniqueness.
Interdisciplinaryadjective: Involving or combining two or more academic disciplines or professional specialized fields.
Mannerismnoun: A habitual gesture, distinctive personal style, or idiosyncratic behavioral trait.
Memorabilitynoun: The quality of being easy to remember, noteworthy, or enduring in human recollection.
narrativenoun: A spoken or written account of connected events, forming a coherent story or conceptual perspective.
Personanoun: The public face or role that a person or entity presents to the world, distinct from private inner reality.