What is the name given to the total opposition to the flow of electrical energy in a circuit?

The total opposition to the flow of electrical energy in a circuit is most accurately defined as resistance. Resistance specifically refers to the ability of a material to resist the flow of direct current (DC) and is measured in ohms.

While impedance is a term that encompasses the total opposition to alternating current (AC), which includes both resistance and reactance (the opposition due to capacitors and inductors), resistance alone addresses the opposition due to resistive components in the circuit.

Capacitance and inductance refer to different properties entirely; capacitance is the ability of a component to store electrical charge, and inductance describes how a component can store energy in a magnetic field due to a current passing through it. Therefore, in the context of total opposition to electrical flow, resistance is the precise term that encapsulates the concept, particularly in DC circuits.