resourcefulness

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noun

The ability to cope with difficult situations, or unusual problems.

Similar
resourceimagination
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounresourcefulness (usually uncountable, plural resourcefulnesses)

plural resourcefulnesses

  1. uncountableusuallyThe ability to cope with difficult situations, or unusual problems.

    Again he reflected on the efficiency of these people and the ingenuity of the equipment they used. Had M underestimated their resourcefulness?

    1953, Ian Fleming, “The Crawling of the Skin”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 112

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems

Similar
resourceimagination
Broader
inventivenessingeniousnessingenuity
Also see
imaginationinventivenessresource

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From resourceful + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans vindingrykheid
  • vindingrykheidthe ability to cope with situations
Dutch vindingrijkheid
  • vindingrijkheidthe ability to cope with situations
Esperanto inventemo
  • inventemothe ability to cope with situations
Finnish neuvokkuus
  • neuvokkuusthe ability to cope with situations
French débrouillardise
  • débrouillardisethe ability to cope with situations
German Einfallsreichtum, Findigkeit
  • Einfallsreichtumthe ability to cope with situations
  • Findigkeitthe ability to cope with situations
  • Genialitätthe ability to cope with situations
Greek ευρηματικότητα, επινοητικότητα
  • ευρηματικότητα (evrimatikótita)the ability to cope with situations
  • επινοητικότητα (epinoïtikótita)the ability to cope with situations
Hebrew תושייה
  • תושייהthe ability to cope with situations
Italian ingegnosità
  • ingegnositàthe ability to cope with situations
Latin ingeniositas
  • ingeniositasthe ability to cope with situations
Norwegian Bokmål oppfinnsomhet
  • oppfinnsomhetthe ability to cope with situations
Polish zaradność
  • zaradnośćthe ability to cope with situations
Portuguese engenhosidade
  • engenhosidadethe ability to cope with situations
Russian нахо́дчивость, изобрета́тельность
  • нахо́дчивость (naxódčivostʹ)the ability to cope with situations
  • изобрета́тельность (izobretátelʹnostʹ)the ability to cope with situations
  • изворо́тливость (izvorótlivostʹ)the ability to cope with situations
Slovak vynaliezavosť
  • vynaliezavosťthe ability to cope with situations
Spanish ingenio, inventiva
  • ingeniothe ability to cope with situations
  • inventivathe ability to cope with situations
Turkish beceriklilik, cerbeze
  • beceriklilikthe ability to cope with situations
  • cerbezethe ability to cope with situations
Cite this entry
APA

resourcefulness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resourcefulness

MLA

“resourcefulness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resourcefulness. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “resourcefulness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/resourcefulness.

Source: resourcefulness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.