nonresistant
|non-res-is-tant|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.rɪˈzɪs.tənt/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.rɪˈzɪs.tənt/
not resisting
Etymology
'nonresistant' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') + the adjective 'resistant' (from French 'résistant', ultimately from Latin 'resistere'), where 'resistere' meant 'to stand back' or 'to withstand'.
'resistere' in Latin developed into Old French forms of the verb 'resister' and the participle 'résistant'; English borrowed 'resistant' from French, and English formed 'nonresistant' by adding the productive negating prefix 'non-'.
Initially, Latin 'resistere' meant 'to stand back/withstand'; 'resistant' came to mean 'able to withstand', and 'nonresistant' originally meant simply 'not resisting'. Over time the basic sense has remained, while a specialized medical sense ('not resistant' = 'susceptible') has also become common.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
noun form (transformation of 'nonresistant'): the state or condition of not resisting; refusal to resist or absence of resistance.
The group's nonresistance helped de-escalate the confrontation.
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Adjective 1
not offering resistance; not resisting or opposing; passive or yielding.
The protesters remained nonresistant despite the heavy police presence.
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Adjective 2
not showing resistance to a drug, treatment, or disease; susceptible (i.e., lacking resistance).
This bacterial strain is nonresistant to the antibiotic, so the treatment is effective.
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Adverb 1
adverb form (transformation of 'nonresistant'): in a nonresistant manner; without resisting.
They stood nonresistantly while the inspectors searched the premises.
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Last updated: 2025/09/29 05:07