Synonyms for diligence
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Industriousness
industry, industriousness, patience, perseverance, painstaking, work ethic, attention, constancy, assiduity, sedulousness, assiduousness, sedulity, hardworkingness rare
Other
application, earnestness, care, heed, stage-coach, heedfulness, worksomeness rare
Definitions
- n. 1
Steady application; industry; careful work involving long-term effort.
Forms
- Plural
- diligences → industries, patiences, perseverances, painstakings…
Choose the right word
In the use of the nouns, we speak of plodding industry, but not of plodding diligence.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- patience A man without patience is like a lamp without oil.
- perseverance Learning a foreign language requires perseverance.
- painstaking Each item was described in painstaking detail.
- industriousness One praises the industriousness of the teachers.
- heed Everyone must heed what the United Nations says.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| diligence | steady | |
| patience | rising | |
| perseverance | rising | |
| painstaking | falling | |
| industriousness | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- care1, heed1
- 8 letters
- industry3, patience2, sedulity
- 9 letters
- attention3, constancy3, assiduity
- 11 letters
- application4, painstaking3, earnestness3, heedfulness
- 12 letters
- perseverance4, sedulousness, worksomeness
- 13 letters
- assiduousness
- 15 letters
- industriousness, hardworkingness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (industry3 = 3 syllables).