Resistless

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈzɪstləs/

Definitions

1. Unable to be resisted or opposed; irresistibly powerful or compelling in force or effect
2. Being incapable of being resisted or opposed indicates an overwhelming force or influence
3. possessing an irresistible nature that commands compliance or submission

Etymology: "Resistless" is a plain formation: the adjective "resist" with the suffix "-less", meaning "without" or "lacking". So it describes something that cannot be resisted or opposed. The verb "resist" came into English through Anglo-Norman "resister" and Latin "resistere", built from "re-", "back", and "sistere", "to stand", so the idea underneath is standing firm against something pushing back. The suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from Old English "-lēas", which meant "free from" or "lacking", and it was the same element that gave English words like "fearless" and "endless". Attaching it to "resist" produces a word whose sense runs opposite to "resistant": where resistant things hold their ground, the resistless thing simply overrides whatever stands in its way.

Synonyms: irresistible, uncontrollable, overpowering

Antonyms: resistible, controllable