Meaning & use
being resourceful
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The quality of being good at finding quick and clever ways to solve problems, especially with limited means.
Grammar: Often used as a subject or after a preposition: Being resourceful helped her a lot.
Patterns
- being resourceful
- being resourceful in a situation
- being resourceful with limited resources
Being resourceful is more important than having a big budget.
Her being resourceful saved the project when the equipment failed.
Being resourceful with old materials, he built a small shelter.
phrasefixed phrase
The act of using available materials or ideas in a clever way to achieve a goal.
Grammar: Often followed by 'with' or 'in': being resourceful with what you have.
Patterns
- being resourceful with something
- being resourceful in doing something
Being resourceful with the few tools they had, they repaired the engine.
The teacher praised the students for being resourceful in their research.
Common combinations
- being resourceful with limited resources
- Being resourceful with limited resources is a key skill for small businesses.
- being resourceful in a crisis
- Being resourceful in a crisis can make all the difference.
- being highly resourceful
- She is highly resourceful and always finds a way.
- being resourceful enough to do something
- He was resourceful enough to fix the leak with tape.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ingenious
- Emphasizes cleverness and originality in solving problems; it is often used about ideas or solutions, not just people.
- inventive
- Focuses on creating new things or methods, while 'resourceful' focuses on using what is available.
- practical
- Means good at doing useful things, but does not always suggest cleverness under pressure.
Opposites
Word family
- resource noun
- Something useful that you can use to achieve a goal.
- resourcefully adverb
- In a way that shows clever use of available things.
- resourcefulness noun
- The quality of being resourceful.
Commonly confused: being resourceful or resourceless?
being resourceful vs resourceless
Means having no resources; it is the opposite of 'resourceful'.
Practice
When the power went out, the team was ___ and used candles and a battery radio.
Choose one answer.
We use the adjective 'resourceful' after 'was' to describe the team. 'Resourceless' means the opposite, 'resource' is a noun, and 'resourcefully' is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being resourceful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.