Adjacent Words

Diligent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DILIGENT, a. [L.]
1. Steady in application to business; constant in effort or exertion to accomplish what is undertaken; assiduous; attentive; industrious; not idle or negligent; applied to persons.
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings. Provers 22.
2. Steadily applied; prosecuted with care and constant effort; careful; assiduous; as, make diligent search.
The judges shall make diligent inquisition. Judges 19.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness; "a diligent (or patient) worker"; "with persevering (or patient) industry she revived the failing business" [syn: diligent, persevering]
2: characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; "a diligent detective investigates all clues"; "a diligent search of the files" [ant: negligent]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin diligent-, diligens, from present participle of diligere to esteem, love, from di- (from dis- apart) + legere to select — more at legend Date: 14th century characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort ; painstaking <a diligent worker> Synonyms: see busy • diligently adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 careful and steady in application to one's work or duties. 2 showing care and effort. Derivatives: diligently adv. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L diligens assiduous, part. of diligere love, take delight in (as DI-(2), legere choose)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diligent Dil"i*gent, a. [F. diligent, L. diligens, -entis, p. pr. of diligere, dilectum, to esteem highly, prefer; di- = dis- + legere to choose. See Legend.] 1. Prosecuted with careful attention and effort; careful; painstaking; not careless or negligent. The judges shall make diligent inquisition. --Deut. xix. 18. 2. Interestedly and perseveringly attentive; steady and earnest in application to a subject or pursuit; assiduous; industrious. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings. --Prov. xxii. 29. Diligent cultivation of elegant literature. --Prescott. Syn: Active; assiduous; sedulous; laborious; persevering; attentive; industrious.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Someone who is diligent works hard in a careful and thorough way. Meyers is a diligent and prolific worker... ADJ • diligence The police are pursuing their inquiries with great diligence. N-UNCOUNT • diligently The two sides are now working diligently to resolve their differences. ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Assiduous, sedulous, industrious, active, busy, persevering, notable, hard-working, at work, diligently employed, busily engaged, up and stirring, busy as a bee, brisk as a bee.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Double diligent, like the Devil's apothecary; said of one affectedly diligent.

Moby Thesaurus

academic, advertent, agog, alert, all ears, all eyes, ardent, assiduous, attentive, aware, bookish, careful, concentrated, conscientious, conscious, constant, continuing, devoted to studies, dogged, donnish, dryasdust, earnest, elaborate, enduring, energetic, faithful, fervent, finical, finicking, finicky, hard, hard-working, hardworking, heedful, immutable, inalterable, indefatigable, indomitable, industrious, insistent, intense, intent, intentive, invincible, laborious, lasting, loyal, mandarin, meticulous, mindful, never idle, never-tiring, nice, niggling, observant, observing, obstinate, on the ball, on the job, open-eared, open-eyed, openmouthed, operose, owlish, painstaking, patient, patient as Job, pedantic, permanent, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, plodding, plugging, preoccupied, professorial, punctilious, rabbinic, rapt, regardful, relentless, resolute, scholarly, scholastic, scrupulous, sedulous, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, stable, steadfast, steady, strenuous, stubborn, studious, tenacious, thorough, thoroughgoing, tireless, unabating, unconquerable, undaunted, undiscouraged, undrooping, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflinching, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unnodding, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unremitting, unsleeping, unsparing, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, utterly attentive, vehement, watchful, weariless, zealous