/ɹɪˈzaɪnd/
Say it backResigned is an adjective describing a person or attitude that has accepted something undesirable as inevitable, often showing calm acceptance or passive submission. It can also mean having given up a position or office. The nuance ranges from weary acceptance to formal surrender, depending on context and tone; it conveys an internal decision or external status change rather than resistance. (2–4 sentences, 50–80 words)
"After years of trying, she adopted a resigned smile as the project finally failed."
"He’s resigned himself to the fact that the job isn’t going to improve, and he began planning a new path."
"Her voice carried a resigned tone, suggesting she had accepted the verdict without surprise."
You say /rɪˈzaɪnd/. The word is two syllables with primary stress on the second syllable: re-SIGNED. Start with a quick /r/ onset, then a short /ɪ/ vowel, move into the diphthong /aɪ/ as in “eye,” and finish with the /nd/ cluster. The final /d/ should be light but audible, not swallowed. Listen for a crisp end since the nucleus is the /aɪ/ sound. Audio reference: [pronunciation resources can be checked in dictionaries or Forvo].
Two common mistakes are pronouncing the final /nd/ as just /n/ or merging /ɪ/ too short. Some speakers also reduce the /ɪ/ before the /ˈzaɪnd/ portion, leading to /ˈriːzaɪnd/ or /rəˈzaɪnd/. To correct: ensure you clearly articulate /ɪ/ before the diphthong, keep the /d/ sound at the end, and avoid turning /ɪ/ into a schwa. Practice with pauses: re- /ɪ/ /zaɪnd/ for clean articulation.”
In US/UK/AU, the main variation is the vowel quality in the /ɪ/ and the diphthong /aɪ/. US tends to have a closer, tenser /ɪ/ before /zaɪnd/, UK often features a slightly more rounded /ɪ/ and crisper /d/, while AU keeps a broader vowel sound. The /r/ is rhotic in US and AU but non-rhotic in many UK dialects, which can subtly affect preceding vowels and the rhythm of the word. Overall stress placement remains on /ˈzaɪnd/ across accents.”
The difficulty lies in the smooth transition between the /ɪ/ vowel and the /aɪ/ diphthong before the alveolar /nd/, plus ensuring the final /d/ is audible in fast connected speech. The /r/ articulation in some accents can also affect the perceived length of the first syllable. Working to maintain a crisp /d/ and a clear /aɪ/ nucleus helps prevent a blurred syllable and keeps the word intelligible in rapid speech.
A unique aspect is the prominence of the second-syllable stress pattern in English; the second syllable carries the main vowel nucleus, /aɪ/, which can be tricky when linking to following consonants in connected speech. Students often inadvertently place stress on the first syllable or shorten the second syllable. Emphasizing the /zaɪ/ sequence while keeping the /nd/ clear helps maintain natural, idiomatic pronunciation.
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Resigned comes from the past participle of the verb resign, which originally meant to give up a voluntary claim or office. The word resign derives from Old French resignier, from Latin resignare, combining re- ‘again’ with signum ‘mark, sign’. In Middle English, resign had literal senses of “to leave (a position)” and by extension “to give up” or “to yield.” The adjectival form resigned emerged by the 16th–17th centuries to describe someone who has yielded or given up, often in a passive or accepting sense rather than actively quitting. In modern usage, resigned frequently characterizes an attitude (a resigned acceptance) as well as a formal act of stepping down, with nuance influenced by tone and context. First known use as a state of acceptance appears in literature and legal language that discuss voluntary relinquishment or surrender of a right. Over time, the sense broadened to describe emotional posture as well—calm, weary submission—while retaining the core idea of relinquishment or acceptance.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "resigned" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "resigned"
-ned sounds
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