1. The action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with
   "he encountered a general feeling of resistance from many citizens";
   - opposition
    
2. Group action in opposition to those in power
   "The resistance movement fought against the occupying forces"
    
3. Any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion
   "The cyclist had to overcome air resistance to maintain high speeds"
    
4. A material's opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms
   "The electrical resistance of the wire increased as its temperature rose"; "The ohmic resistance of the wire increased as its temperature rose";
   - electric resistance, electrical resistance, ohmic resistance
    
5. (military) the military action of resisting the enemy's advance
   "the enemy offered little resistance"
    
6. (medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease
   "The population's resistance to the virus increased over time";
   - immunity
    
7. 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"
    
8. The degree of unresponsiveness of a disease-causing microorganism to antibiotics or other drugs (as in penicillin-resistant bacteria)
   "The emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a major concern in medicine"
    
9. A secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force
   "The French Resistance played a crucial role during World War II";
   - underground
    
10. (psychiatry) an unwillingness to bring repressed feelings into conscious awareness
    "The patient's resistance to discussing childhood trauma hindered the therapy's progress"
     
11. An electrical device that resists the flow of electrical current
    "The engineer added a resistance to the circuit to reduce the voltage";
    - resistor

1. The outstanding item (the prize piece or main exhibit) in a collection
   "The rare stamp was the pièce de résistance of his philatelic collection";
   - collector's item, showpiece
    
2. The most important dish of a meal
   "The chef's pièce de résistance was a delicate soufflé"

Derived forms: resistances

Type of: action, capability, capacity, condition, curio, curiosity, deadness, dish, electrical device, electrical phenomenon, group action, involuntariness, mechanical phenomenon, military action, oddity, oddment, peculiarity, rarity, revolutionary group, status, unresponsiveness, unwillingness

Part of: circuit, electric circuit, electrical circuit

Encyclopedia: Resistance, Rebellion and Death