Showing careful and persistent effort; hardworking and thorough in carrying out tasks or duties. Implies sustained attention and dedication to achieving quality results.
From Latin 'diligent-,' from 'diligere' meaning 'to love' or 'to take delight in,' from 'dis-' (apart) plus 'legere' (to choose). Originally meant 'to choose carefully' or 'to love what one chooses,' leading to the modern sense of careful attention.
The root means 'to love' what you do—diligent people work hard because they care deeply about doing things right. It's not just working hard, it's working with love and careful attention to detail!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.