Resilient

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈzɪl.jənt/

Definitions

1. Able to recover quickly from difficulties, setbacks, or challenging circumstances
2. Capable of bouncing back from hardship and maintaining strength through adversity
3. Possessing the capacity to withstand pressure and return to a former state after being stressed or damaged

Etymology: Latin "resilire" meant "to leap back" or "to rebound," built from "re-" ("back") and "salire" ("to leap, jump"). The present participle "resiliens" gave English "resilient," so the word's core image is something that springs back up after being pressed down. The verb "salire" also survives in English words like "salient," meaning something that leaps out or stands prominently forward. The word's sense moved from the physical to the psychological. Something that rebounds is elastic, like a spring or a ball, and English used "resilient" in that bouncing sense before applying it to people. Today we apply it to someone who recovers quickly from illness, setback, or hardship, so the same leaping motion has been transferred from objects to human spirit.

Synonyms: flexible, adaptable, strong, tough, buoyant

Antonyms: fragile, weak, brittle, inflexible, vulnerable