English

Adjective

assiduous ‎(comparative more assiduous, superlative most assiduous)

1. Hard-working, diligent or regular (in attendance or work); industrious.
   • 1831, Sir Walter Scott, The Surgeon's Daughter, ch. 2:

     He was officious in the right time and place, quiet as a lamb when his patron seemed inclined to study or to muse, active and assiduous to assist or divert him whenever it seemed to be wished.

   • 1880, Henry James, Washington Square, ch. 33:

     He died after three weeks' illness, during which Mrs. Penniman, as well as his daughter, had been assiduous at his bedside.

   • 1917, P. G. Wodehouse, "Bill the Bloodhound" in The Man With Two Left Feet and Other Stories:

     A good deal of assiduous attention had enabled Henry to win this place in her affections.

   • 2009, Will Pavia , "Allen Klein, accountant turned manager of the Beatles, dies at 77," The Times (UK), 6 July:

     Klein rose to prominence in the 1960s by assiduous application of accounting methods to the music industry.

Usage notes

• Since the 18th century, this term has sometimes carried a connotation of servility.^[1]

Synonyms

• meticulous, diligent, sedulous
• See also Wikisaurus:industrious

Derived terms

• assiduously
• assiduousness

Translations

References

1. 1 2 “assiduous” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).