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

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”

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

Delta leaders conducted preliminary due diligence in response to the approach, but the talks didn’t progress and both companies moved on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

It takes a certain kind of person to tackle end-of-life decision-making with clarity and diligence.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Since it’s the first movie to capture the whole thing in 70mm Imax, it’s my due diligence to see it like that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

But the MSF argued that adoption agencies are responsible for ensuring their babies come from "appropriate sources" and must do rigorous checks, and that adoptive parents must also do their due diligence.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Far from instilling resentment, Martin told her, the patrollers’ diligence was a point of pride from county to county.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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

From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023

We applied at the offices of public and private diligences.

From From the Easy Chair, series 3 by Curtis, George William

Dwellers in diligences, as well as dwellers in hotels, must sleep if they can; but the hour for "turning in" had scarce arrived, and meanwhile, I remember, my thoughts took strongly a homeward direction.

From Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber Or The Influence of Romanism on Trade, Justice, and Knowledge by Wylie, James Aitken

There is so much travelling into Switzerland now that the diligences are all full.

From Rollo in Geneva by Abbott, Jacob

On looking up and down, Rollo saw a great number of bridges crossing this stream, with teams and diligences, and in one place a long troop of soldiers passing over.

From Rollo in Geneva by Abbott, Jacob

Related Words

• alertness
• earnestness
• intensity
• quickness
• vigor