resistance

/ri'zistəns/

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Understanding the Word "Resistance"

Definition: The word "resistance" is a noun that generally refers to the act of opposing or standing against something. It can be used in different contexts, such as politics, electricity, medicine, and psychology.

Key Meanings:

1. Opposition to Power:

   • Example: A group of people might form a resistance to oppose an unfair government.
   • Usage: This usage often relates to social or political movements.

2. Electrical Resistance:

   • Example: In a circuit, a resistor creates resistance that slows down the flow of electricity.
   • Usage: Measured in ohms, it describes how much a material opposes the flow of electrical current.

3. Psychological Resistance:

   • Example: A person might show resistance when they are asked to talk about painful memories.
   • Usage: In psychology, it refers to an unwillingness to confront repressed feelings.

4. Medical Resistance:

   • Example: Some bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics, making them harder to treat.
   • Usage: This refers to the ability of organisms to withstand harmful substances or diseases.

5. Military Resistance:

   • Example: The enemy faced little resistance while advancing through the territory.
   • Usage: In military terms, it describes the action of opposing enemy forces.

Advanced Usage:

• Resistance in Science: In physics and biology, resistance can describe how materials or organisms react to external forces or changes in their environment.
• Cultural Resistance: This can refer to movements that oppose cultural assimilation or the loss of cultural identity.

Word Variants:

• Resist (verb): To oppose or withstand.
• Resistant (adjective): Able to resist something; for example, "These plants are resistant to drought."

Synonyms:

• Opposition
• Defiance
• Rebellion
• Obstruction
• Reluctance

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Offer resistance": To oppose or fight against something or someone.

  • Example: The citizens offered resistance to the new laws.

• "Resistance is futile": A phrase often used to imply that opposing something is pointless.

  • Example: When the new rules were announced, many joked that "resistance is futile."

Summary:

"Resistance" is a versatile word that can describe opposing forces in various contexts, from social movements to scientific principles.

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Noun

1. group action in opposition to those in power
2. an electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current
3. (psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness
4. the degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria)
5. a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force
6. 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
7. (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease
8. the military action of resisting the enemy's advance
   • the enemy offered little resistance
9. a material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms
10. any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion
11. 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

Synonyms

• resistor
• underground
• immunity
• electric resistance
• electrical resistance
• impedance
• resistivity
• ohmic resistance
• opposition