Synonym Chooser

How is the word diligent different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of diligent are assiduous, busy, industrious, and sedulous. While all these words mean "actively engaged or occupied," diligent suggests earnest application to some specific object or pursuit.

very diligent in her pursuit of a degree

When might assiduous be a better fit than diligent?

The meanings of assiduous and diligent largely overlap; however, assiduous stresses careful and unremitting application.

assiduous practice

When is it sensible to use busy instead of diligent?

While the synonyms busy and diligent are close in meaning, busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

too busy to spend time with the children

In what contexts can industrious take the place of diligent?

Although the words industrious and diligent have much in common, industrious implies characteristic or habitual devotion to work.

industrious employees

When would sedulous be a good substitute for diligent?

The words sedulous and diligent can be used in similar contexts, but sedulous implies painstaking and persevering application.

a sedulous investigation of the murder

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of diligent When shopping for supplements, be diligent about choosing products that contain quality ingredients and are made by reputable companies. Sam Manzella, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025 Identifying stocks that combine strong fundamentals with cheap valuations should remain a priority for diligent investors. David Trainer, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 This suspect has now been stopped in his tracks because of the diligent and tenacious work done by investigators at both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025 The researchers concluded that, especially in relatively dense neighborhoods, even if residents take diligent action in defense of their own houses, that may not matter much if their neighbors don’t. Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for diligent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diligent
Adjective
  • Employees stay engaged longer, teams navigate setbacks smoothly and leaders make stronger decisions under pressure.
    Elan Gepner-Dales, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The couple became engaged in August.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Perfect for both busy workdays and evenings out, the versatile top is easy to pair with lightwash jeans and a belt, or layered beautifully under blazers and cardigans.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2025
  • For less hustle and bustle, busiest avoid traveling Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.
    Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Displacing the ’90s boom bap and aughts brawlers of her last album is a streak of assiduous ’80s R&B exercises that foreground her gains as a vocalist more often than her gobstopping wordplay as a rapper.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Smith, a former C.E.O. of Madison Square Garden, was an assiduous, somewhat robotic character, who had been appointed four and a half years earlier to modernize the auction house, which was the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
    Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Johnson, who spent the past year-plus on Miami’s practice squad, will give the Dolphins a fifth available cornerback if Storm Duck isn’t active.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The Phillips 66 refinery will start shutting down this month and end active fuel production at the end of 2025, the company said.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Gardeners know pollinators are essential, especially those industrious bees buzzing tirelessly in and out of squash blossoms and trumpet vines.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Near the burial, archaeologists also found Roman pottery kilns that showed the domestic and industrious side of Roman Leicester, according to the release.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Diligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diligent. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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