Synonym Chooser

How is the word sedulous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sedulous are assiduous, busy, diligent, and industrious. While all these words mean "actively engaged or occupied," sedulous implies painstaking and persevering application.

a sedulous investigation of the murder

Where would assiduous be a reasonable alternative to sedulous?

The synonyms assiduous and sedulous are sometimes interchangeable, but assiduous stresses careful and unremitting application.

assiduous practice

When can busy be used instead of sedulous?

The meanings of busy and sedulous largely overlap; however, busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

too busy to spend time with the children

When is diligent a more appropriate choice than sedulous?

Although the words diligent and sedulous have much in common, diligent suggests earnest application to some specific object or pursuit.

very diligent in her pursuit of a degree

In what contexts can industrious take the place of sedulous?

The words industrious and sedulous can be used in similar contexts, but industrious implies characteristic or habitual devotion to work.

industrious employees

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sedulous Putting festivals like this on stage is clearly just one part of the slow, sedulous work of relationship building and repair. Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Mar. 2023 Among the advantages that billionaires receive due to their wealth is sedulous defenses by journalists and other camp followers. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2022 The wrong calls on the Truss program reflected a knee-jerk impulse of supply-siders to react to anything even remotely resembling the policies of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan with sedulous adoration. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2022 Led by Martin Amis, their ranks included Julian Barnes, Salman Rushdie—and a sedulous outlier named A.N. Wilson. Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2022 Manchin has been a sedulous supporter of the fossil fuel industry. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2022 The skirmish over Arista was the second great battle of Clive’s life, as a sedulous Vanity Fair account of the affair put it. Amy X. Wang, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2021 One might be tempted to defend this sedulous cultivation of Tom Barrack by Bloomberg and Charlie Rose by asserting that no one on the outside could know the truth of what was going on inside Trump’s brain or the Middle East at the time. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sedulous
Adjective
  • Some 20 years later, another Times writer, sounding like an anti-DEI whiner, wrote approvingly about diligent Indians grateful for free schooling and medical services, and disapprovingly about the Indians who weren’t.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024
  • The co-worker said the baby’s father was a diligent worker but somewhat odd.
    Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Now in their 30s, Bieber is married to model Hailey Bieber, and Gomez recently became engaged to music producer Benny Blanco.
    Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
  • By creating a supportive, educated and engaged environment, leaders can seamlessly embed wellness into the workplace routine.
    John Graham Harper, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • After a slow and frustrating start to the week missing out on Juan Soto and Fried, the Red Sox were busy on Wednesday.
    Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024
  • The park has been gradually reopening since July 2022, and weekends are busy enough that rangers urge visitors to make parking reservations at least a day ahead (details below).
    Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Sedulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sedulous. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on sedulous

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