Synonym Chooser

How is the word assiduous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of assiduous are busy, diligent, industrious, and sedulous. While all these words mean "actively engaged or occupied," assiduous stresses careful and unremitting application.

assiduous practice

When is it sensible to use busy instead of assiduous?

Although the words busy and assiduous have much in common, busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

too busy to spend time with the children

When could diligent be used to replace assiduous?

The words diligent and assiduous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, diligent suggests earnest application to some specific object or pursuit.

very diligent in her pursuit of a degree

When would industrious be a good substitute for assiduous?

While in some cases nearly identical to assiduous, industrious implies characteristic or habitual devotion to work.

industrious employees

When can sedulous be used instead of assiduous?

The meanings of sedulous and assiduous largely overlap; however, sedulous implies painstaking and persevering application.

a sedulous investigation of the murder

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assiduous In recent years, Portland has become a byword for fashionable left-wing guff, including the notion that crime and homelessness are little more than voluntary social constructs that are better fought with kind words and substantial welfare spending than with the assiduous enforcement of the law. The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2024 The irony of the term extension is that Disney, which pushed so hard to keep its own creations out of the public domain, is perhaps our most assiduous exploiter of, yes, the public domain. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023 Securing the best surviving print of a film often required assiduous detective work. Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Maestro centers on Cooper’s assiduous show of respect for Bernstein — Cooper meticulously enacts Bernstein’s rise to celebrity while sympathetically balancing his hotshot, wunderkind arrogance with the physical ravages of time. Armond White, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for assiduous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assiduous
Adjective
  • Beyond analyzing troves of data to sift through requirements even the most diligent person might miss, AI can proactively respond to requests with lightning speed—a superhuman ability that might have saved Josef K from the state.
    Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Being diligent in evaluating these costs can lead to significant savings over time.
    Jessica Ledingham, J.D., Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The findings show that those with empathic leaders are more engaged (67% versus 24%), are able to be more innovative (61% versus 13%) at work and can better balance work priorities with personal obligations (86% versus 60%).
    Maria Ross, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The first: having an effective and engaged board of directors.
    Jack Fowler, National Review, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But standing in a busy subway station, Duffy vowed to continue providing the city with federal support and confirmed the administration has not withheld funding.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • After two years of busy construction, John and Mable had completed their 56-room Mediterranean Revival masterpiece in 1926, at a time when no homes of such scope existed in Sarasota.
    Thao Thai, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assiduous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assiduous. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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