What does industrious mean?
Word: Industrious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Industrious means hard-working and busy, always putting in steady effort.
Synonyms: hard-working, busy, conscientious
Antonyms: lazy, idle, slothful
How do you spell industrious?
Syllables: in - dus - tri - ous
Tricky part: The y of industry changes to i before ous, so that i must not be dropped.
Watch out for: industryous, industreous, industrius
Memory tip: Picture an industrious ant carrying an i on its back: it swaps the y of industry for that i before ous.
Industrious in a sentence
Example 1: The industrious farmer was in the fields before sunrise.
Example 2: Our class monitor is industrious and finishes every task on time.
Example 3: Ants are industrious insects that never seem to stop working.
Fun Fact
Before factories, the word industry meant hard work itself, from the Latin industria, diligence; industrious keeps that older meaning.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: industrious
a) polite
b) diligent
c) cheerful
d) clever
Show answer
b) diligent. A diligent student works carefully and steadily, as an industrious one does.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) persistant
b) industrious
c) carefull
d) punctul
Show answer
b) industrious. Careful has one l, punctual has ua, and persistent ends in ent.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nitdorusius
a) illustrious
b) industrious
c) studious
d) industries
Show answer
b) industrious. Industries needs an e, illustrious needs two l's and studious is too short, so only industrious uses all eleven letters.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
industerious
a) t
b) i
c) e
d) r
Show answer
c) e. There is no e in industrious: the t runs straight into r, as in industry.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which shopkeeper is the most industrious?
a) the grocer who chats to every customer
b) the tailor who works late to finish orders
c) the jeweller who charges the highest prices
d) the baker who shuts early on hot days
Show answer
b) the tailor who works late to finish orders
2. Which simile describes an industrious person?
a) as wise as an owl
b) as busy as a bee
c) as brave as a lion
d) as quiet as a mouse
Show answer
b) as busy as a bee
