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resist

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To fight against something or refuse to accept it.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rihzist

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹɪˈzɪst

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To oppose; to refuse to accept.

  2. Withstand the force of something

  3. transitive

    To withstand the actions of.

  4. transitive

    To attempt to counter the actions or effects of.

noun

  1. A protective coating or covering.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To oppose; to refuse to accept.

Used this way, resist is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

longer resist

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • defy

    To refuse to obey.

  • withstand

    To oppose (something) forcefully.

  • jib

    Refuse to comply.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • resistornounPerson or profession · specialist

    An electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current.

  • resistancenounDerived noun

    The action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with.

  • resistiveadjectiveDerived adjective

    Exhibiting or relating to electrical resistance.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • resisting arrestnounCompound term

    Physical efforts to oppose a lawful arrest.

  • ni-resistnounCompound term

    Cast iron consisting of graphite in a matrix of austenite.

  • ni-resist ironnounCompound term

    Cast iron consisting of graphite in a matrix of austenite.

  • passive resisternounCompound term

    A reformer who believes in passive resistance.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.