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diligent

/ˈdɪlɪdʒənt//ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/·adjective
showing careful, steady, and persistent effort
Fig. 1 — Two of them set out across the same ground.
01Definition

A diligent person works with care and persistence — not in bursts of inspiration, but steadily, day after day, with attention to detail. Diligence is the quality of the student who reviews a little every evening, the researcher who checks every source, the employee who follows through. The word praises both the effort and the conscientiousness behind it: diligent work is thorough as well as hard.

02In use
  • iA diligent student reviews a little every day, willing to persist long after the first motivation fades.
  • iiThe investigators were diligent in tracking down every witness to the incident.
  • iiiYears of diligent practice carried her from the back row of the orchestra to first violin.
03Collocations
  • a diligent student
  • diligent work
  • diligent in checking
  • due diligence

Family diligence (noun) · diligently (adverb)

04Relations

=industrious, hardworking, conscientious, meticulous, persistent

≠lazy, negligent, careless

05Compared
PairThe difference
diligent vs meticulouskeeps at the work steadily and does not stop → diligent; refuses to let any detail through unchecked → meticulous.
diligent vs vigilantsteady care poured into your own work → diligent; steady watch kept against outside danger → vigilant.
06TOEFL & IELTS

A high-frequency adjective in TOEFL/IELTS speaking topics about study habits, work, and success — 'a diligent student/worker' is a ready-made collocation worth memorizing. In reading passages it often characterizes scientists and historical figures. Note the noun form 'diligence' and the common phrase 'due diligence' in business contexts.

07Asked
What does 'due diligence' mean?
The careful investigation a reasonable person makes before a decision — checking a company's books before buying it, a property before renting, a claim before repeating it. Note the grammar: the phrase uses the noun diligence, not the adjective diligent, so it is 'do due diligence', never 'do diligent'. It means the homework you are expected to have done.
What is the difference between diligence and due diligence?
Diligence is the personal quality — steady, careful hard work. Due diligence is a specific procedure: the formal checking expected before a transaction or decision, especially in business and law. One describes a person's character; the other names a task on a checklist. You show diligence; you perform due diligence.
What is the opposite of diligent?
Lazy for the plain contrast; negligent and careless for the sharper ones, since they add fault — a negligent worker doesn't just do little, they fail a duty. Slack, idle and lax fill the middle. Diligent's own noun antonym is negligence, which is why it carries real weight in work and legal writing.
Is it 'diligent in' or 'diligent about'?
Both work. Diligent IN is the more formal and common ('diligent in her research'); diligent ABOUT is slightly more conversational ('diligent about backing up files'). Before an -ing form, either is fine. Whichever you choose, the thing that follows is the task the diligence is applied to.
What is the difference between diligent and hardworking?
Hardworking measures effort — how much you put in. Diligent adds care and consistency — the effort is also thorough and sustained, attentive to detail. Someone can work hard sloppily; a diligent worker works hard carefully. The scene above draws the line: the sprinter works in furious bursts, but only the steady bricklayer builds a road.
Where does diligent come from?
Surprisingly, from love — Latin diligere, 'to value highly, to take delight in'. Diligence originally meant careful attention paid out of caring, not grim duty. The root still shows: diligent work is attentive because the worker takes it seriously, not merely because they must. Care, not just labour, sits at the word's centre.