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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

diligence

/ˈdɪlɪd͡ʒəns/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does diligence mean?

noun

  1. Steady application; industry; careful work involving long-term effort.
  2. The qualities of a hard worker, including conscientiousness, determination, and perseverance.
  3. Carefulness, in particular, the necessary care appropriate to a particular task or responsibility.
More meanings (2)

noun

  1. The process by which persons, lands, or effects are seized for debt; process for enforcing the attendance of witnesses or the production of writings.
  2. (historical) A four-wheeled public stage-coach, widely used in France before the general establishment of the railways.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈdɪlɪd͡ʒəns/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

War, like most other things, is a science to be acquired and perfected by diligence, by perserverance, by time, and by practice.
Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; James MadisonThe Federalist PapersProject Gutenberg ebook #18
“Ah! your cousin is not a steady lad like yourself. To think that he is to pass the night in a diligence!”
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
More book examples (3)
The committee approv'd, and used such diligence that, conducted by my son, the stores arrived at the camp as soon as the waggons.
Benjamin FranklinThe Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinProject Gutenberg ebook #148
According to our resolution so is the rate of our progress, and much diligence is needful for him who would make good progress.
à Kempis ThomasThe Imitation of ChristTranslated by William BenhamProject Gutenberg ebook #1653
This observation, however, may very probably be the mere suggestion of fraudulent dealers, whose smuggling is either prevented or detected by their diligence.
Adam SmithAn Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of NationsProject Gutenberg ebook #3300