: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress
2
: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
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Using Resilience Outside of Physics
In physics, resilience is the ability of an elastic material (such as rubber or animal tissue) to absorb energy (such as from a blow) and release that energy as it springs back to its original shape. The recovery that occurs in this phenomenon can be viewed as analogous to a person's ability to bounce back after a jarring setback. The word resilience derives from the present participle of the Latin verb resilire, meaning "to jump back" or "to recoil." The base of resilire is salire, a verb meaning "to leap" that also pops up in the etymologies of such sprightly words as sally and somersault.
Example Sentences
… the concert remained a remarkable tribute to Dylan's resilience and continued relevance. Susan Richardson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994He squeezed the rubber with a clamp and then released it—demonstrating with this painfully simple experiment that the material lost its resilience and therefore its ability to flex rapidly enough to protect the rocket joint from tumultuous hot gases. James Gleick, New York Times Book Review, 13 Nov. 1988With amazing resilience the two tribes pulled together and set out to found a new town farther up the river. Carolyn Gilman, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 1988It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment. Bram Stoker, Dracula, 1897 The rescue workers showed remarkable resilience in dealing with the difficult conditions. Cold temperatures caused the material to lose resilience. See More
Recent Examples on the WebThe 44-year-old governor talks about his Christian faith, his stewardship of the state’s record-setting economy and the resilience of his fellow Kentuckians. Bruce Schreiner, ajc, 11 Sep. 2022 Moreover, earnings results have largely pointed to resilience among U.S. corporations. Akane Otani, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 As in other parts of the country, the record flooding has tested the resilience of local families as well as the district administration, which has been scrambling to contain the crisis and evacuate victims to higher ground. Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Sep. 2022 For disaster relief, the White House is asking for $6.5 billion, including money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund, farmers affected by weather events and efforts to increase the resilience of the electric grid.Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2022 The resilience of the ancient grapes may be the result of Middle Age winemakers’ farming tactics. Ian Mount, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2022 On the border of reality and fiction, the film accompanies her in this path to resilience, of making peace with her own past, her own body and thus, her own present. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Aug. 2022 Acknowledging the benefits that cultural burning once offered to forest resilience, park officials have sought to bring low-intensity fire back to the landscape in the last 50 years. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2022 Using what happened today as a launchpad for the next day is a key to resilience. Mike Kessler, Men's Health, 25 May 2022 See More