sedulous

/ˈsedjələs/ · SEJ-uh-lusadjective

Showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

Use sedulous to express this relationship precisely: showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

What sedulous Really Means

The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.

1

Core quality

Showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

Example

Through sedulous research, the historian reconstructed the missing years.

2

Attributive or predicative use

Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.

Example

The sedulous apprentice practised the technique every morning.

3

Analytical distinction

Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.

Example

Her sedulous notes allowed later scholars to verify each claim.

Use sedulous Naturally

Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.

Through sedulous research, the historian reconstructed the missing years.

The sedulous apprentice practised the technique every morning.

Her sedulous notes allowed later scholars to verify each claim.

Precision Matters

Sedulous overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.

sedulous

Means showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

vs.
ebullient

Means overflowing with cheerful energy, enthusiasm, and excitement.

sedulous

Means showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

vs.
eclectic

Means drawing ideas, styles, or elements from a wide and diverse range of sources.

sedulous

Means showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

vs.
pedantic

Means overly concerned with displaying knowledge, enforcing minor rules, or correcting small details.

sedulous

Means showing sustained diligence, care, and persistent effort in one's work.

vs.
conscientious

Means careful, responsible, and guided by a serious desire to do one's work or duty properly.

Test sedulous in Context

The work shows sustained, painstaking diligence rather than mere enthusiasm.

1

The biographer's ___ examination of thousands of letters took twelve years and left almost no source unchecked.

Prepared byFirst Academy
Editorial responsibilityFirst Academy Academic Team
Updated3 August 2026
Selection and reviewRead our methodology