industrious

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableapproving

   Working hard and steadily, with plenty of energy and care.

   Grammar: Before a noun or after be: an industrious student.

   Patterns

   • industrious in something

   The industrious student finished all her homework before dinner.

   Ants are famously industrious creatures.

   He was industrious in his work and rarely took a day off.

2. 2adjectivecomparableformal

   Showing steady effort and busyness over a period, as of a team or town.

   Grammar: Used of groups and places: an industrious village.

   Patterns

   • an industrious community

   The industrious villagers rebuilt the bridge in a week.

   It was an industrious little town full of workshops.

   The industrious team met every deadline.

Word forms

Common combinations

industrious worker

She is an industrious worker.

industrious student

He was an industrious student.

industrious people

The town is full of industrious people.

remarkably industrious

The children were remarkably industrious.

industrious bees

Industrious bees filled the hive.

Synonyms and how they differ

diligent

Diligent stresses care and attention to detail, whereas industrious stresses steady, energetic work.

hardworking

Hardworking is the plain everyday equivalent, while industrious sounds a bit more formal.

busy

Busy only says someone is occupied, with no sense that the effort is admirable.

assiduous

Assiduous is rarer and more formal, stressing constant care.

Opposites

Word family

industry noun

hard work, or a branch of business

industriously adverb

in a hardworking way

industriousness noun

the quality of working hard

industrial adjective

relating to manufacturing

Commonly confused: industrious or industrial?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “industrious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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