resolution
Pluralresolutions
- 1A formal statement that a group agrees on and adopts during a meeting.
Like a class agreeing on one statement and writing it down together.
The student council wrote a resolution about recycling.
Members voted on the resolution at the yearly meeting.
UsageGroups pass or vote on a resolution.
Similarmotion, declaration, proposal
Note
- 2How sharp and detailed a picture or screen is, often counted in pixels.
Like a window made of tiny tiles: more tiles means a clearer, smoother picture.
This camera takes photos at a very high resolution.
The old screen had such low resolution that text looked blurry.
UsageSay high or low resolution: a high-resolution photo.
Note
- 3A strong decision to do or not do something, made by a person or officially by a group.
After much thought, she came to a firm resolution to change careers.
The managers reached a resolution to close the store on Sundays.
UsagePeople make a resolution to do something, like a New Year's resolution.
- 4The act of solving a problem or finding an answer.
Everyone was glad about the quick resolution of the problem.
The two neighbors finally reached a peaceful resolution of their argument.
UsageSay the resolution of a problem; people reach a resolution.
Similarsolution
Note
- 5How well a tool like a telescope can show tiny details or tell apart things that are very close together.
Like having sharp eyes that can tell two close dots apart instead of one blur.
The microscope's resolution lets you see tiny cells.
A bigger telescope has better resolution, so it shows more detail.
UsageA tool has high or good resolution.
Note
- 6The point in a story where the main problem is solved and the ending becomes clear.
Like the last piece of a puzzle that finally shows the whole picture.
The story's resolution showed the two friends making up.
Readers waited for the resolution at the end of the book.
UsagePeople often say a story has a satisfying resolution.
Similardenouement, conclusion, ending, outcome, finale
Note
Less common meanings
- 7Strong will and firm determination to do something.
Like a strong push inside you that keeps you going when things get hard.
She faced the challenge with great resolution.
It took real resolution to keep training every day.
UsageOften with resolution: she worked with great resolution.
Similardetermination, resolve, tenacity, steadfastness
Oppositeindecision, irresolution, hesitancy, vacillation
- 8In music, the move from a tense, clashing sound to a calm, settled one, or the chord it lands on.
Like a held breath that finally relaxes into a calm sigh.
The song's resolution finally relaxed the tension in the music.
Listeners waited for the resolution after the tense chord.
Note
- 9The process a computer uses to match a name or address to the thing it points to.
Like looking up a friend's name in your contacts to find their phone number.
The browser failed because the address resolution did not work.
Name resolution turns a website name into a number the computer can use.
UsageUsually with a word before it: name resolution.
Similarlookup
Note
- 10The act of breaking something into its separate parts, such as the colors in light.
Like splitting sunlight through a prism into a rainbow of separate colors.
The prism caused the resolution of white light into many colors.
Chemists studied the resolution of the mixture into its parts.
Similarseparation, breakdown, decomposition, dispersion
Note
- 11In medicine, when swelling or an illness goes away and the body gets back to normal.
- 12In advanced math, a chain of objects linked in a special way to help study another object.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Latin resolutio, meaning 'a loosening,' from the verb resolvo 'to loosen.' It has been used in English since 1412.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The English word ultimately comes from Latin resolutio. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin resolutio means a loosening. en.wiktionary.org
- Resolutio derives from the verb resolvo, meaning to loosen. en.wiktionary.org
- The word has been used in English since 1412. en.wiktionary.org