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To search diligently after; to seek; to pursue; to follow; -- often with out or up; as, to hunt up the facts; to hunt out evidence. Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. Ps. cxl. 11.

mprove one's time; to improve his means. Shak. We shall especially honor God by improving diligently the talents which God hath committed to us. Barrow. A hint that I do not remember to have seen opened and improved. Addison. The court seldom fails to improve the oppotunity. Blackstone. How doth the little busy bee Imp…

Not disposed to action or effort; not diligent or industrious; not busy; idle; as, an inactive officer.

One who searches diligently into a subject.

Devoted to labor; diligent; industrious; as, a laborious mechanic. -- La*bo"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- La*bo"ri*ous*ness, n.

keeps any law, custom, regulation, rite, etc.; one who conforms to anything in practice. "Diligent observers of old customs." Spenser. These... hearkend unto observers of times. Deut. xviii. 14.

Careful in doing; diligent; faithful; attentive. "Painstaking men." Harris.

Constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent; as, patient endeavor. Whatever I have done is due to patient thought. Sir I. Newton.

To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; -- usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.

To employ diligently; to use steadily. Go ply thy needle; meddle not. Shak.

ext day . . . I began to be very pragmatical. Evelyn. We can not always be contemplative, diligent, or pragmatical, abroad; but have need of some delightful intermissions. Milton. Low, pragmatical, earthly views of the gospel. Hare.

own in fact; questionable; uncertain; unsettled; doubtful. -- Prob`lem*at"ic*al*ly, adv. Diligent inquiries into remote and problematical guilt leave a gate wide open to . . . informers. Swift.

ached did not profit them. Heb. iv. 2. It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs. Dryden.

e profits from a speculation. Knighthood was not beyond the reach of any man who could by diligent thrift realize a good estate. Macaulay.

Rashly negligent; utterly careless or heedless. It made the king as reckless as them diligent. Sir P. Sidney.

To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend; as, to relax in study.

Diligent inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles; laborius or continued search after truth; as, researches of human wisdom. The dearest interests of parties have frequently been staked on the results of the researches of antiquaries. Macaulay.

To rub anything hard, especially with a wet brush; to scour; hence, to be diligent and penurious; as, to scrub hard for a living.

The quality or state of being sedulous; diligent and assiduous application; constant attention; unremitting industry; sedulousness. The industrious bee, by his sedulity in summer, lives in honey all the winter. Feltham.

Diligent in application or pursuit; constant, steady, and persevering in business, or in endeavors to effect an object; steadily industrious; assiduous; as, the sedulous bee. What signifies the sound of words in prayer, without the affection of the heart, and a sedulous application of the proper means that may naturall…