diligence

¹ American  

[dil-i-juhns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns /

noun

1. constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

2. Law. the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person.

3. Obsolete. care; caution.

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diligence ² American  

[dil-i-juhns, dee-lee-zhahns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns, di liˈʒɑ̃s /

noun

• diligences
  plural

1. a public stagecoach, especially as formerly used in France.

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diligence ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

1. steady and careful application

2. proper attention or care

3. law the degree of care required in a given situation

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diligence ² British  

/ diliʒɑ̃s, ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

1. history a stagecoach

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• diligences
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of diligence¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English deligence, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīligentia, equivalent to dīligent- (stem of dīligēns ) diligent ( def. ) + -ia; see -ence ( def. )

Origin of diligence²

First recorded in 1735–45; short for French carosse de diligence “speed coach”

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Explanation

If you practice diligence, you are a hard and careful worker. Do you have the diligence to read all the collected works of Henry James? Of course not. Nobody has, but a couple of his early novels won't hurt. Here's a tip: never buy anything big, like a house or a car or a boat, without first exercising what lawyers call "due diligence" — that is, a real degree of care and attention and effort, not to mention a close reading of the small print. Diligence may help you realize the Brooklyn Bridge is not actually yours to buy, or that your potential neighbor has 112 cats living next door.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diligence diligences

The institution will also have to undergo an independent review of its programs for monitoring suspicious activity, and on other forms of due diligence.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Don’t let a fancy offer document bedazzle you and deter your due diligence.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

The judge said he had "let down the whole profession of solicitors whose professionalism and diligence the criminal justice system depends on daily".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The country’s legislature recently expanded anti-money-laundering laws to impose stricter due diligence requirements and push companies to collect more information on their controlling ownership, among other measures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

For me, the garden was simple, prosperous, and healthy—a symbol of diligence and faith.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

One of the due diligences will include on the safety culture in Newcrest mines, the company said.

From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023

I can state, upon certain information received in Madrid, that the principal Spanish diligences pay black mail to the banditti for their protection.

From Popular Education For the use of Parents and Teachers, and for Young Persons of Both Sexes by Ira Mayhew

The diligences in question were those between Madrid and Seville, and the sum offered for their protection was not objected to, but another difficulty was started.

From Popular Education For the use of Parents and Teachers, and for Young Persons of Both Sexes by Ira Mayhew

Once in the early morning, and once again about five o’clock in the evening, were they momentarily galvanised out of their listlessness by the arriving and departing diligences.

From Above the Snow Line by Clinton Thomas Dent

At stated times diligences run the twelve miles between Palma and Valldemosa, and the charge is only sevenpence-halfpenny.

From The Fortunate Isles Life and Travel in Majorca, Minorca and Iviza by Mary Stuart Boyd

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Related Words

• alertness
• earnestness
• intensity
• quickness
• vigor

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