ENGLISH
REFERENCE

diligent

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdɪɫɪdʒənt// UK //dˈɪlɪdʒənt// dili·gent

adj. working hard and being very careful to do things correctly. You are diligent when you put a lot of effort into your tasks and don't rush them.

adj. characterised by steady, earnest, and energetic effort in a task or duty. Often used to describe professional or academic conduct.


SIMPLE

She is a diligent student who always finishes her homework early.

CONTEXTUAL

The lawyer was diligent in checking every document for errors before the trial began.

COMPLEX

Through diligent research and careful cross-referencing of historical archives, the biographer uncovered several previously unknown facts about the author's early life.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb like 'be' or 'remain'.

© 2026 English Reference