RESISTANT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does resistant mean? 

• RESISTANT (adjective)
  The adjective RESISTANT has 5 senses:

1. relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection)

2. able to tolerate environmental conditions or physiological stress

3. impervious to being affected

4. disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority

5. incapable of absorbing or mixing with

  Familiarity information: RESISTANT used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RESISTANT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection)

Synonyms:

immune; resistant

Similar:

insusceptible; unsusceptible (not susceptible to)

Derivation:

resist (resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ)

resistance (the degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria))

resistance ((medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Able to tolerate environmental conditions or physiological stress

Synonyms:

resistant; tolerant

Context example:

the new hybrid is more resistant to drought

Similar:

tolerable (capable of being borne or endured)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Impervious to being affected

Context example:

resistant to persuasion

Similar:

imperviable; impervious (not admitting of passage or capable of being affected)

Derivation:

resistance ((psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority

Synonyms:

insubordinate; resistant; resistive

Similar:

defiant; noncompliant (boldly resisting authority or an opposing force)

Derivation:

resist (stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something)

resist (express opposition through action or words)

resist (refuse to comply)

resistance (group action in opposition to those in power)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Incapable of absorbing or mixing with

Synonyms:

repellent; resistant

Context example:

plastic highly resistant to steam and water

Similar:

nonabsorbent; nonabsorptive (not capable of absorbing or soaking up (liquids))

Derivation:

resist (withstand the force of something)

 Context examples 

They found three different three-drug combinations that were effective against 10 common strains of multi-drug-resistant bacteria.

(Research on new, rapid screening test identifies potential therapies against drug-resistant bacteria, NIH)

This allele, which encodes tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5A protein, is involved in the modulation of dephosphorylation.

(ACP5 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Recognizing this cause-effect relationship, Kastner’s team named the resulting disease cleavage-resistant RIPK1-induced autoinflammatory (CRIA) syndrome.

(Researchers discover new autoinflammatory disease and uncover its biological cause, National Institutes of Health)

Moreover, the mutant mice were dramatically better at standing up after diazepam-induced stumbles, in fact, some appeared resistant to stumbling.

(‘Sticky’ gene may help Valium calm nerves, National Institutes of Health)

XIAP interferes with both the intrinsic and extrinsic program-death signaling pathways, which may render tumor cells resistant to apoptosis.

(AEG35156, NCI Thesaurus)

Atevirdine is active against AZT-resistant virus strains.

(Atevirdine, NCI Thesaurus)

This mutant MGMT protein, MGMTP140K, is resistant to the O6-benzylguanine (BG), an inhibitor of the wild type MGMT.

(MSCV (MGMTP140K) Retroviral Vector-Transduced CD34+ Autologous PBSC, NCI Thesaurus)

It causes infection mainly in immunocompromised patients and is often resistant to most conventional anti-tuberculosis medications including rifabutin.

(Mycobacterium simiae, NCI Thesaurus)

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

(MRSA, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

A semisynthetic, narrow spectrum beta-lactamase-resistant penicillin antibiotic with bactericidal and beta-lactamase resistant activity.

(Methicillin, NCI Thesaurus)