sedulous

American  

[sej-uh-luhs] / ˈsɛdʒ ə ləs /

adjective

1. diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous.

   Synonyms:

   tireless, constant

2. persistently or carefully maintained.

   sedulous flattery.

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sedulous British  

/ sɪˈdjuːlɪtɪ, ˈsɛdjʊləs /

adjective

1. constant or persistent in use or attention; assiduous; diligent

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Other Word Forms

• sedulity noun
• sedulously adverb
• sedulousness noun
• unsedulous adjective
• unsedulously adverb
• unsedulousness noun

Etymology

Origin of sedulous

1530–40; < Latin sēdulus, adj. derivative of the phrase sē dolō diligently, literally, without guile; replacing sedulious ( see sedulity, -ous)

Explanation

A sedulous person is someone who works hard and doesn't give up easily. If you make repeated and sedulous attempts to fix a leaky pipe and it only makes things worse, it might be time to go online and find the number of a plumber. There are a couple of words that basically mean the same thing as sedulous but are a little more common, namely assiduous, painstaking, and diligent. Like sedulous, all of these adjectives can be turned into adverbs by adding the suffix ly: "He assiduously tried to fix the pipe, but to no avail."

Example Sentences

The same refreshing sense of dorkiness that blew me straight back to eighth grade while watching it may be inseparable from the sedulous faithfulness to the text that makes this adaptation somewhat awkward.

From Slate • May 31, 2019

Even in the most amicable of arrangements, when all the ostensible needs are met, and everyone is healthy and clear-headed, it's nearly impossible to harness the sedulous nuances of adoption.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2018

Crafting elegant parcels of tilled earth requires scrupulous alignment, each seed sedulous placement and tending.

From Time • Oct. 6, 2017

One of these emerging stars was the No. 1 seed at Citi: Dominic Thiem, a 23-year-old Austrian of steady, sedulous temperament and brutally hard groundstrokes.

From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2017

And that, following an assessment of his sedulous performance over the years, the distributor was promoting Mr. Dalai to manage the College Street branch.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri