Definition of diligent
: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking
- a diligent worker
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Examples of diligent in a Sentence
- The American intelligence community's single greatest failing is its lack of good "humint"—human intelligence, the dirty, diligent, shoe-leather penetration of terror networks. —Johanna McGeary, Time, 15 Oct. 2001
- Like any diligent foreign correspondent, he attends the briefings and collects face time with the officials, but he knows it's the citizens (the upstanding as well as the jailers, the whores, the black marketeers and the smugglers) who tell the truth … —Rolling Stone, 19 Sept. 1996
- He was a fourth-year drama student at UCLA and diligent about such valuable actorly exercises as eavesdropping, spying, and telling complicated lies to fellow passengers on airplanes. —Michael Chabon, A Model World and Other Stories, 1991
- In spite of diligent work as editor, hack writer, sea captain, and assorted other trades, he wound up poor. —Monroe K. Spears, American Ambitions, 1987
a student who has been unceasingly diligent in pursuit of a degree in mathematics
Recent Examples of diligent from the Web
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Tree rings are particularly diligent record-keepers, recording rainfall in their annual rings; ice cores can keep exquisitely detailed accounts of seasonal conditions going back nearly a million years.
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Steffen says the company is sensitive to the impacts the mine has on the surrounding area and has been diligent about replacing forest cover and relocating species affected by logging.
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If the child is removed If DCS removes a child from their home, there are three possible placements for the child: With a family member: DCS must do a diligent search to find eligible family members.
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Here's how his diligent reporting has had a positive impact on our community.
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Through diligent work from the Assistant Principals and the School Resource Officers, an unloaded weapon was recovered.
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Some wild mice are diligent parents, building elaborate grassy nests to keep their young safe and warm.
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In reality, being properly diagnosed requires diligent testing that includes an often lengthy evaluation.
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And she's been diligent about supplying her followers — many of them parents of Down syndrome children — with regular, open and honest updates on life with Emily.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diligent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
You're more likely to be diligent about something if you love doing it. The etymology of diligent reflects the fact that affection can lead to energetic effort. The word, which entered English in the 14th century by way of Anglo-French, descends from the Latin verb diligere, meaning "to value or esteem highly" or "to love." Of course, you don’t need to care for the task at hand in order to be diligent, but it certainly does help!
diligent Synonyms
Synonyms
active, assiduous, bustling, busy, employed, engaged, hopping, industrious, laborious, occupied, sedulous, tied-up, working;
Antonyms
Related Words
animated, astir, buzzing, flourishing, happening, humming, lively, thriving, vibrant;
absorbed, concentrating, engrossed, focused (also focussed), immersed, intent, preoccupied;
alive, functional, functioning, going, living, operating, operational, operative, running;
Synonym Discussion of diligent
busy, industrious, diligent, assiduous, sedulous mean actively engaged or occupied. busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.
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- too busy to spend time with the children
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- industrious employees
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- very diligent in her pursuit of a degree
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- assiduous practice
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- a sedulous investigation of the murder
DILIGENT Defined for Kids
Definition of diligent for Students
: showing steady and earnest care and hard work
- a diligent search
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diligently
adverbLearn More about diligent
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for diligent Spanish Central: Translation of diligent Nglish: Translation of diligent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of diligent for Arabic speakers
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