resistance

re·sis·tance (r

-z

ns)

1. The act or an instance of resisting or the capacity to resist.

2. A force that tends to oppose or retard motion.

3. often Resistance An underground organization engaged in a struggle for national liberation in a country under military or totalitarian occupation.

4. Psychology A process in which the ego opposes the conscious recall of anxiety-producing experiences.

5. Biology

a. The capacity of an organism to defend itself against a disease.

b. The capacity of an organism or a tissue to withstand the effects of a harmful environmental agent.

6. Electricity The opposition of a body or substance to current passing through it, resulting in a change of electrical energy into heat or another form of energy.

re·sistant adj.

resistance

Noun

1. the act of resisting

2. the capacity to withstand something, esp. the body's natural capacity to withstand disease

3. Electricity the opposition to a flow of electric current through a circuit, component, or substance

4. any force that slows or hampers movement: wind resistance

5. line of least resistance the easiest, but not necessarily the best, course of action

resistant adjn

Resistance

Noun

the Resistance an illegal organization fighting for national liberty in a country under enemy occupation

resistance (r

-z

ns)

1. A force, such as friction, that operates opposite the direction of motion of a body and tends to prevent or slow down the body's motion.

2. A measure of the degree to which a substance impedes the flow of electric current induced by a voltage. Resistance is measured in ohms. Good conductors, such as copper, have low resistance. Good insulators, such as rubber, have high resistance. Resistance causes electrical energy to be dissipated as heat. See also Ohm's law.

3. The capacity of an organism, tissue, or cell to withstand the effects of a harmful physical or environmental agent, such as a microorganism or pollutant.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	resistance - the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with; "he encountered a general feeling of resistance from many citizens"; "despite opposition from the newspapers he went ahead" opposition action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions" lockout - a management action resisting employee's demands; employees are barred from entering the workplace until they agree to terms reaction - doing something in opposition to another way of doing it that you don't like; "his style of painting was a reaction against cubism" anti-takeover defense - resistance to or defense against a hostile takeover
	2.	resistance - any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion rubbing, friction - the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another mechanical phenomenon - a physical phenomenon associated with the equilibrium or motion of objects acoustic impedance, acoustic reactance, acoustic resistance - opposition to the flow of sound through a surface; acoustic resistance is the real component of acoustic impedance and acoustic reactance is the imaginary component drag, retarding force - the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid
	3.	resistance - a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms electric resistance, electrical resistance, impedance, ohmic resistance, resistivity electrical phenomenon - a physical phenomenon involving electricity ohmage - the ohmic resistance of a conductor
	4.	resistance - the military action of resisting the enemy's advance; "the enemy offered little resistance" military action, action - a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea" armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
	5.	resistance - (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease immunity medical specialty, medicine - the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques condition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" immunogenicity - the property of eliciting an immune response acquired immunity - immunity to a particular disease that is not innate but has been acquired during life; immunity can be acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease or by a pregnant mother passing antibodies through the placenta to a fetus or by vaccination innate immunity, natural immunity - immunity to disease that occurs as part of an individual's natural biologic makeup
	6.	resistance - the capacity of an organism to defend itself against harmful environmental agents; "these trees are widely planted because of their resistance to salt and smog" capability, capacity - the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment; "the capability of a metal to be fused"
	7.	resistance - a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force underground revolutionary group - a political unit organized to promote revolution Maquis - the French underground that fought against the German occupation in World War II
	8.	resistance - the degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria) bacteria, bacterium - (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants deadness, unresponsiveness - the quality of being unresponsive; not reacting; as a quality of people, it is marked by a failure to respond quickly or with emotion to people or events; "she began to recover from her numb unresponsiveness after the accident"; "in an instant all the deadness and withdrawal were wiped away"
	9.	resistance - (psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness involuntariness, unwillingness - the trait of being unwilling; "his unwillingness to cooperate vetoed every proposal I made"; "in spite of our warnings he plowed ahead with the involuntariness of an automaton" psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders
	10.	resistance - an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current resistor ballast resistor, barretter, ballast - a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations) circuit, electric circuit, electrical circuit - an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow electrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity potential divider, voltage divider - resistors connected in series across a voltage source; used to obtain a desired fraction of the voltage rheostat, variable resistor - resistor for regulating current
	11.	resistance - group action in opposition to those in power group action - action taken by a group of people opposition, confrontation - the act of hostile groups opposing each other; "the government was not ready for a confrontation with the unions"; "the invaders encountered stiff opposition" sales resistance - resistance by potential customers to aggressive selling practices defiance - a defiant act contravention, dispute - coming into conflict with obstructionism - deliberate interference protest, dissent, objection - the act of protesting; a public (often organized) manifestation of dissent rebellion - refusal to accept some authority or code or convention; "each generation must have its own rebellion"; "his body was in rebellion against fatigue" insubordination, rebelliousness - an insubordinate act