studious
Americanadjective
adjective
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given to study
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of a serious, thoughtful, and hard-working character
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showing deliberation, care, or precision
Other Word Forms
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nonstudiousnessnoun
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overstudiousnessnoun
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prestudiousnessnoun
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studiousnessnoun
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unstudiousnessnoun
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nonstudiousadjective
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overstudiousadjective
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prestudiousadjective
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pseudostudiousadjective
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quasi-studiousadjective
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unstudiousadjective
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nonstudiouslyadverb
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overstudiouslyadverb
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prestudiouslyadverb
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pseudostudiouslyadverb
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quasi-studiouslyadverb
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studiouslyadverb
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unstudiouslyadverb
Etymology
Origin of studious
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin studiōsus; equivalent to study + -ous
Explanation
If you are studious, you study a lot and you probably even enjoy it. Your studious habits might bring you excellent grades and "your" table at the library. You can see study in studious. Remember, being smart doesn't make you studious — unless you also hit the books. That's why studious people are sometimes also called bookish. Studious can also describe doing something carefully, with effort. If you are studious in your approach to baking, you read the recipe over and over, double-checked that you have all the ingredients and measure them down to the exact drop.
Vocabulary lists containing studious
Surviving Hitler
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Eleven
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List 9
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Puck’s Leigh Ann Caldwell recently observed, he is seen as quiet and studious in the Senate, someone who rarely attends Washington social functions, who is professorial by nature.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Most Chinese people are quite studious and forward-looking, so when confronted with new things, they might have stronger feelings" of so-called FOMO, he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
Gauci suggests the "quite remarkable" notebook suggests Geisel had been "studious" and was doing "diligent work".
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
The middle of three children and the only boy, Mukhammad was studious and curious, Rukhsora said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
She and some of her friends had formed a vacation study group to prepare for their transition to junior high in September, and she’d suddenly become more studious than she ever was during term time.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
