Resilient or Resilience? People, Materials and Examples

Resilient (adjective) — Resilient is an adjective for the ability to recover after difficulty or return towards an original form after being bent or compressed. Resilience is the related noun.

One adjective, different contexts

For a person or community, resilient often concerns recovery or adaptation. For a material, it can describe springing back after pressure. The context determines which sense is intended.

A resilient material is not necessarily impossible to break. Likewise, a resilient person is not someone who never feels hurt. Avoid turning a description of recovery into a claim of invulnerability.

Resilient in sentences

• The cushion contains a resilient filling that springs back after use.
• The designer tested how resilient the flexible strip remained after repeated bending.
• The resilient team revised its plan when the venue closed.
• Her resilience helped her return to studying after a difficult interruption.

Useful patterns and word forms

Correct: “She is resilient” and “She showed resilience.” Avoid “She is resilience” when describing the person. Resiliently is an adverb, though an ordinary phrase such as “with resilience” may sometimes sound more natural.

Try it today: Write one sentence about a material and one about a person.

Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Resilient. Examples and quiz questions are written for English Skill Studio.