Several months ago, a landslide tore a thin slice off the southern coast in San Pedro, a coastal suburb of Los Angeles. Part of the rift went down the middle of Paseo del Mar, a street at the top of a clifflike rise, and a section of the center divider was separated with a palm tree on it. The tree is still there, and very much alive. I had thought “defiance” would be the proper word for what this scenario expresses, since the tree survived the landslide, but maybe that isn’t the right word folr something which survives a disaster and goes merrily on. Any suggestions?
Defiance is one way to look at it. Perseverance? Endurance?
“Defiance” emphasizes that the landslide wanted to kill it, and the tree defied the landslide’s wishes – it anthropomorphizes the landslide and the tree by giving them both intentions. It’s a valid usage, but a little more poetic.
“Perseverance” and “endurance” don’t imply that the hardship being endured or persevered over is something with an intention that can be defied, so those words don’t anthropomorphize the landslide (but still kind of anthropomorphizes the tree).
I don’t think it is possible to judge without a bit more context. “Defiance” implies some sort of conscious will, which trees don’t really have, so if you are using it of a tree you are using it metaphorically, and metaphors that work fine in some (linguistic) contexts do not always work in others. How would you want to use “defiance” in a sentence about this? Can you give us an example?
“The tree defied the destructive force of the landslide and remained standing.”
I think a more apt term would be ‘survived’ - while the tree is without a doubt a living organism, it has no will of its own, so therefore cannot ‘defy’ anything.
your sentence, however, certainly evokes an image of a strong willed thing battling an overwhelming force - so, if that is what you are going for - enjoy it.
Thanks. 
I* meant *to use poetic language. Anyway, how would you change the word in the OP, which is a noun? (C’mon, don’t simply take the easy way out and use “survival.” :p)
not sure I follow - at the end of the day, what emotion are you trying to invoke in your readers/listeners?
If one of courage and steadfastness against overwhelming odds - i’d stick with what you have -
“Consider this palm tree, when faced with an overwhelming destructive force, it stood in defiance and was not swayed in its duty - it stands there today as an example of…”
(of course, the palm tree had no choice in the matter either, not like it could run away - not sure what its ‘duty’ was either, other than to stand there defiantly).
The shallow root system that spreads out in a circle is probably the reason it survived. The ability to survive landslides is most definitely not a reason that it grew the shallow root system (evolution… adapted to dry conditions where it must get the water from the surface soil …etc)
Someone might say that the tree had good luck. No, it had the bad luck of being in a land slide, but avoided the bad luck of being knocked over by it.
tenacious
undaunted
unyeilding
unwavering
unswaying
Now, Moriah, make those words into nouns. (I know the first once becomes “tenacity.” :))
tenacity
undauntingization
unyieldliness
unwaveritude
unswayfullness
(some of the above may not be found in all dictionaries)
resilience
