What does "resolve" mean?
Determination; will power.
Resolve
/ɹɪˈzɑlv/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Determination; will power.
- Grammar: resolve is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: firmness, resoluteness, tenacity, abort.
- Useful contrasts: abscessed, agonizing, baffling.
- Usage evidence: The doctor's warning stiffened my resolve to stop drinking.
How to use "resolve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "resolve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "resolve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "resolve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "resolve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "resolve" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "firmness" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "resolve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Determination; will power. uncountable
"It took all my resolve to go through with the surgery."
- 2 the trait of being resolute wordnet
- 3 A determination to do something; a fixed decision. countable
"And the having individually entertained four such resolves, without perceiving that once brought together, they all mutually expire; this, this ineffable folly, Pierre, brands thee in the forehead for an unaccountable infatuate!"
- 4 a formal expression by a meeting; agreed to by a vote wordnet
- 5 An act of resolving something; resolution. countable
"Some operations require data that, in turn, requires that lightweight components be resolved. In these cases, this option determines whether the user is prompted to approve the resolve or whether components are just resolved automatically."
Verb
- 1 To find a solution to (a problem). transitive
"Exeter. Shall I call in Thambaſſadors my Liege? / King. Not yet my Couſin, til we be reſolude / Of ſome ſerious matters touching vs and France."
- 2 Alternative spelling of re-solve. alt-of, alternative
- 3 cause to go into a solution wordnet
- 4 To reduce to simple or intelligible notions; to make clear or certain; to unravel; to explain. transitive
"to resolve a riddle"
- 5 understand the meaning of wordnet
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 To make a firm decision to do something. To become determined to reach a certain goal or take a certain action. intransitive
"I resolve to finish this work before I go home."
- 7 bring to an end; settle conclusively wordnet
- 8 To determine or decide in purpose; to make ready in mind; to fix; to settle. transitive
"He was resolved by an unexpected event."
- 9 reach a decision wordnet
- 10 To come to an agreement or make peace; patch up relationship, settle differences, bury the hatchet.
"After two weeks of bickering, they finally resolved their differences."
- 11 find the solution wordnet
- 12 To break down into constituent parts; to decompose; to disintegrate; to return to a simpler constitution or a primeval state. intransitive, reflexive, transitive
"O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!"
- 13 reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation wordnet
- 14 To cause to perceive or understand; to acquaint; to inform; to convince; to assure; to make certain.
"In health, good air, pleasure, riches, I am resolved it cannot be equalled by any region."
- 15 make clearly visible wordnet
- 16 To cause a chord to go from dissonance to consonance.
- 17 To render visible or distinguishable the parts of something.
"The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail."
- 18 To find the IP address of a hostname, or the entity referred to by a symbol in source code; to look up.
- 19 To melt; to dissolve; to liquefy or soften (a solid). rare, transitive
"With milke-white Hartes vpon an Iuorie ſled, / Thou ſhalt be drawen amidſt the froſen Pooles, / And ſcale the yſie mountaines lofty tops: / Which with thy beautie will be soone reſolu’d."
- 20 To melt; to dissolve; to become liquid. intransitive, rare, reflexive
"When the blood stagnates in any part, it first coagulates, then resolves, and turns alkaline."
- 21 To liquefy (a gas or vapour). obsolete, transitive
- 22 To disperse or scatter; to discuss, as an inflammation or a tumour. dated
- 23 To relax; to lie at ease. obsolete
"resolve himself into all sports and looseness again"
- 24 To separate racemic compounds into their enantiomers.
- 25 To solve (an equation, etc.). archaic, transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The doctor's warning stiffened my resolve to stop drinking."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "resolve"?
Common synonyms include: firmness, resoluteness, tenacity, abort, accommodate, address colleagues courteously.
How do you use "resolve" in a sentence?
The doctor's warning stiffened my resolve to stop drinking.
How do you pronounce "resolve"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈzɑlv/.
Etymology
From Middle English resolven, from Old French resolver, a learned borrowing of Latin resolvō (“loosen, thaw, melt, resolve”), equivalent to re- + solve. Piecewise doublet of re-solve.