Whether it's a protest against tyranny, the force that stops a moving object, or the thing that makes your toaster work—Germans call it Widerstand. It’s a strong, serious word that spans physics, history, and everyday opposition.

The noun Widerstand means resistance, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It appears in engineering classrooms, news reports, biographies of anti-Nazi fighters, and even in phrases about small acts of rebellion.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Widerstand.

Pronunciation

Widerstand is pronounced [VEE-der-shtahnt].

• W is pronounced like a V,
• ie gives a long “ee” sound,
• The “s” before “t” becomes “sch”—a very German combo,
• Stress falls on the first syllable: VEE-der-shtahnt

It sounds firm, like digging in your heels.

Example sentences:

• Die Studentin leistete friedlichen Widerstand gegen die Entscheidung.
  The student offered peaceful resistance to the decision.
• In einem Stromkreis entsteht Wärme durch elektrischen Widerstand.
  Heat is generated in a circuit due to electrical resistance.

Nuance and usage tips

Widerstand is made up of wider- (against) and Stand (standing, position). So it literally means “standing against.”

It has three big meanings:

1. Political and moral resistance

Often used in historical and activist contexts:

• Widerstandsbewegung – resistance movement
• Widerstandskämpfer – resistance fighter
• Widerstand leisten – to resist / to stand up against
• Famous use: Der Widerstand gegen Hitler refers to the German resistance, including groups like the Weiße Rose and the 20. Juli 1944 plot.

2. Mechanical or physical resistance

Used in science and engineering:

• Luftwiderstand – air resistance
• Reibungswiderstand – frictional resistance
• mechanischer Widerstand – mechanical resistance

3. Electrical resistance

In physics and electronics:

• elektrischer Widerstand – electrical resistance

Antonyms

Depending on the meaning:

• Unterwerfung (submission, political)
• Nachgiebigkeit (compliance, softness)
• Leitfähigkeit (conductivity, in physics)

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Der Widerstand formierte sich im ganzen Land.
  The resistance organized itself across the country.
• Accusative: Sie wollten den Widerstand brechen.
  They wanted to crush the resistance.
• Dative: Mit dem Widerstand hatten sie nicht gerechnet.
  They hadn’t expected the resistance.
• Genitive: Wegen des Widerstands wurde das Gesetz nicht verabschiedet.
  Because of the resistance, the law wasn’t passed.

Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Widerstandskämpfer – resistance fighter
• Widerstandsgruppe – resistance group
• Widerstandskraft – resilience / capacity to resist
• Widerstandshandlung – act of resistance
• Widerstandsfähigkeit – resistance to stress (mental or physical)
• Widerstandsrecht – right to resist unjust government (in German law)

Cultural note:
In Germany, the word Widerstand has a deep connection to resistance against Nazism. Schools teach about figures like Sophie Scholl, Claus von Stauffenberg, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer under the heading of Widerstand.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Widerstand

🎥 Learn Widerstand and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Alternate translations note:
For minor objections or counterarguments, Germans might use Einwand or Gegenteil. But if there’s firm opposition—whether it’s physical, political, or electrical—Widerstand is the word.

Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Verdacht means? How about Verfassung? Find out!