Word: diligently

Associations

"Diligently" means to do something with great care, effort, and attention. It suggests a strong commitment to a task and working hard on it.

• You might say, "She studies diligently to achieve her goals." This means she puts a lot of effort into her studies.
• Another example: "He worked diligently on his project to meet the deadline." This indicates he was very focused and careful with his work.
• For a third example, "The volunteers diligently cleaned the park." This shows they worked hard and carefully to make the park clean.

A well-known synonym of "diligently" is "hardworking". The important difference is that "diligently" often implies careful attention to detail, while "hardworking" focuses more on the amount of effort put in.

Substitution

Instead of "diligently," you could use:

• "carefully": This emphasizes doing something with great attention to detail.
• "assiduously": A more formal way to say someone is hard at work and focused.
• "industriously": This suggests a sense of productivity and efficiency.

Each word has a slightly different meaning. "Carefully" is more about precision, while "assiduously" and "industriously" lean more towards consistent hard work.

Deconstruction

The word "diligently" comes from the root "diligent," which means showing care and effort.

• The suffix "-ly" is added to turn an adjective into an adverb, showing how something is done. The Latin origin is "diligentem," meaning "to value highly" or "to take delight in." This connection shows that diligence involves valuing the work you do.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you had to work diligently on something? What was it?
• How does being diligent help you achieve your goals?
• Are there situations where being diligent might be more important than being fast? Why?