resigned

adjective

re·​signed ri-ˈzīnd How to pronounce resigned (audio)
: feeling or showing acceptance that something unwanted or unpleasant will happen or cannot be changed
a resigned sigh
They had the resigned manners of long-term detainees.Jonathan Raban
often used with to
He was fifty-seven years old and resigned to the fact that the rest of his days would be spent in convenient bachelorhood …James A. Michener
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the cold ground.Edna St.Vincent Millay
… Mr. Ogata is resigned to his life rather than contented.James Sterngold
resignedly adverb
With a gleam in his eye and a twinkle in his lens, he seems to tell us sweetly, sadly, rather resignedly that a little absurdity, a bit of imbalance is about what we should expect from life. Vicki Goldberg

Examples of resigned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During her character’s apex in the show, the plea for her father to change his life, her voice curdled from sadness into a resigned anger. Jazmine Hughes, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023 The board should fill the vacancy caused by the resigned director. Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023 With his truck at a standstill just before the turn onto Neptune Road in East Boston, one driver offered a resigned view of his fate. Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023 Yet, despite these flashy infographics enticing us at every turn, Excel endures as a symbol of the banal, synonymous with Office Space’s TPS reports—the resigned territory of listless spreadsheet entry and workplace ennui. WIRED, 28 June 2023 The resigned Berkman sits down in the living room and asks to call the police to confess. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 29 May 2023 The resigned version takes that and adds a smile — one that manages, through the tears, to communicate ruefulness, cynicism, contempt and the sheer relief of finally giving up. New York Times, 26 May 2021 His life as a resigned pool boy in the fictional Palerma City is about to be abruptly upended when he’s asked to safeguard a mysterious box. Vulture, 3 Apr. 2023 As a protagonist, Sam is mostly an existential corpse awaiting resurrection, but Everett brings out the spiky sarcasm that probably made her character a young misfit in her small town, as well as the resigned hopelessness that’s convinced her that happiness can only be found elsewhere. Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'resigned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of resigned was in 1699

Dictionary Entries Near resigned

Cite this Entry

“Resigned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resigned. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

resigned

adjective
re·​signed
ri-ˈzīnd
: giving in patiently (as to loss, sorrow, or misfortune)
resignedly
-ˈzī-nəd-lē
adverb
resignedness
-ˈzī-nəd-nəs
noun

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