Industrious means working steadily and hard. An industrious student, industrious habits, quietly industrious.
It praises steady application rather than brilliance, and it is slightly formal and old-fashioned. It is not the same as industrial, which is about industry in the manufacturing sense — the two split from one Latin word meaning diligence. Note that industry itself meant diligence long before it meant factories.
1adjectiveindustriousWorking steadily and hard.
“The industrious students stayed in the library until it closed.”
synonyms: diligent, hardworking
industrious is a quality of diligence.
Latin industriosus comes from industria, diligence. The word industry meant diligence before it meant manufacturing.
Latin
industriosus — diligent, active, industrious
Middle French
industrieux
English, today
industrious
From Middle French industrieux, from Latin industriosus (“diligent, active, industrious”), from Latin industria (“diligence, industry”); see industry.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA