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

Whipped up and given a sheen of analytic legitimacy by the Maven, military officials did not do their due diligence in the midst of hundreds of similar, simultaneous strikes.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

A Labour Party spokesman added that the party carried out "due diligence checks ahead of these donations being received, through which no issues were identified."

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

That can help you identify and address key issues and do your due diligence — whether you wind up hiring an adviser or not.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

This is the sort of due diligence any company would do before paying out a check to a supplier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023

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

Gross Laufingen has seen more stirring times than at present: it was a thriving post town once, a halting-place for all the diligences.

From The Giant's Robe by F. Anstey

It was small comfort to see the cuttings and fillings-in for the railway which is destined soon to destroy those beastly diligences, and place Rome within two or three hours of its seaport.

From My Unknown Chum by Charles Bullard Fairbanks

The roar of torrents, and hardly less thunderous noise of departing diligences, awakened us the next morning.

From An American Girl Abroad by Adeline Trafton

Related Words

• alertness
• earnestness
• intensity
• quickness
• vigor