Dictionary / diligent
diligent
- adjective
- from Old French
Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “diligent” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.
Scientists are very diligent in their work.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- adjectivequietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness — also: persevering
- adjectivecharacterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)diligent
- Middle Englishdiligent
- Old Frenchdiligent
- Latindīligēns “careful, attentive, diligent”
- Latindī-
From Middle English diligent, from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns (“careful, attentive, diligent”), present participle of dīligō (“to love, esteem much”, literally “to choose, select”), from dī-, dis- (“apart”) + legō (“to choose”); see elect and select.
Derivatives — words built from “diligent”
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “diligent” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “diligent” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
diligent a. [F. diligent, L. diligens, -entis, p. pr. of diligere, dilectum, to esteem highly, prefer; di- = dis- + legere to choose. See Legend.]
- Prosecuted with careful attention and effort; careful; painstaking; not careless or negligent.
- Interestedly and perseveringly attentive; steady and earnest in application to a subject or pursuit; assiduous; industrious.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.
Scientists are very diligent in their work.
adjectiveMeaning: quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
a diligent (or patient) worker
adjectiveMeaning: characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks
a diligent detective investigates all clues
a diligent search of the files
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
diligent
/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
diligent
/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/ · adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “diligent” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “diligent” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin dīligēns. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — diligent
Origin: C. Old French (Old French diligent)
Journey: English diligent ← Middle English diligent ← Old French diligent ← Latin dīligēns ← Latin dī-
Some derivatives: diligently, diligentness, overdiligent, undiligent
Original meaning: Latin dīligēns — “careful, attentive, diligent”
Etymology: From Middle English diligent, from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns (“careful, attentive, diligent”), present participle of dīligō (“to love, esteem much”, literally “to choose, select”), from dī-, dis- (“apart”) + legō (“to choose”); see elect and select.
Sources: Wiktionary “diligent” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/diligent#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/diligent