industrious

adjective

in·​dus·​tri·​ous in-ˈdə-strē-əs How to pronounce industrious (audio)
1
: constantly, regularly, or habitually active or occupied : diligent
an industrious worker
2
obsolete : skillful, ingenious
industriously adverb
industriousness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for industrious

busy, industrious, diligent, assiduous, sedulous mean actively engaged or occupied.

busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

too busy to spend time with the children

industrious implies characteristic or habitual devotion to work.

industrious employees

diligent suggests earnest application to some specific object or pursuit.

very diligent in her pursuit of a degree

assiduous stresses careful and unremitting application.

assiduous practice

sedulous implies painstaking and persevering application.

a sedulous investigation of the murder

Examples of industrious in a Sentence

He is an industrious worker. an industrious worker who never seems to sleep
Recent Examples on the Web An industrious medical student, the son of immigrants, wrestled with the choice of two plum summer jobs during his second year of medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 But at Cafe Unido in Shaw, the industrious Panamanian chef is brimming with bigger ideas. Gabe Hiatt, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection An industrious housewife fights for survival after her husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves her and her son (Ed Oxenbould) to tackle forest fires in Montana in this stunning domestic drama from Paul Dano. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2024 Lucy Campbell’s risky screenplay isn’t afraid to look at bigger pictures in an industrious indie that defies its genre conventions every step of the way. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad Company recognized the industrious nature of the German Catholic population and decided to entice immigration by establishing a church and monastery to build near their line. Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024 No doubt the Justice Department's industrious efforts deserve praise but the itemized list of names and offenses seem relatively minor in scale, offenses more financial in nature than threats to security: yachts, real estate, money laundering and the like. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 In her incredible cookbook, A Treasury of Southern Baking, Cheryl writes about the industrious matriarchs in her family, including her great-great-grandmother, Hannah Queen Grubbs, who was an enslaved pastry chef renowned for her biscuits and cakes. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2024 Topping the list for most industrious royal is the king’s sister Anne, the Princess Royal, who clocked 457 engagements in 2023 — beating out her brother Charles’s 425, and giving her one of the highest royal approval ratings in the land. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'industrious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of industrious was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near industrious

Cite this Entry

“Industrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/industrious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

industrious

adjective
in·​dus·​tri·​ous in-ˈdəs-trē-əs How to pronounce industrious (audio)
: constantly or regularly active or occupied
an industrious farmer
industriously adverb
industriousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on industrious

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