Resilience vs. Resiliency: Understanding the Difference

Resiliency vs. Resilience

Resiliency and resilience are two words that look and sound very much alike. They talk about the same idea, but there are small differences between them. Let’s learn more about these words.

History

The word resilience comes from the Latin word “resilire,” which means “to jump back.” It has been used in English since the 1600s. On the other hand, resiliency also comes from the same Latin word and started being used in English later.

How to Use Them

Resilience and resiliency both mean the same thing: the ability to come back or recover from difficulties. Most people use “resilience” more often, but you can use “resiliency” too.

Trick to Remember the Difference

It’s easy to remember the difference: think of “resilience” as the word most people use. “Resiliency” is just a longer way to say the same thing.

Examples of “Resilience”

• The child’s resilience helped him recover from the fall.
• She showed great resilience after her surgery.
• Plants have resilience to survive in harsh weather.
• The team’s resilience helped them win the game.
• Resilience is important when facing challenges.

Examples of “Resiliency”

• The athlete’s resiliency was amazing after his injury.
• Her resiliency helped her succeed in tough times.
• We need to teach kids about resiliency.
• Businesses need resiliency to survive in the market.
• His resiliency made him a role model.

Summary

Both resilience and resiliency talk about the ability to bounce back from hard times. “Resilience” is used more often, but “resiliency” means the same thing. Just remember: resilience is the more common word, while resiliency is a longer form of the same idea.