hard-working

hard-working — adjective

1. putting steady effort into your work or studies, and rarely slowing down or givi

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

putting steady effort into your work or studies, and rarely slowing down or giving up before a task is finished.

Example

Kenji is the most hard-working student in our maths class.

the most hard-working + noun (superlative)

Saira comes from a hard-working family of bakers in Karachi.

a hard-working family / team / group

Common collocations
  • hard-working student
  • hard-working family
  • hard-working team
  • hard-working employee
  • honest and hard-working
Synonyms
  • diligent

    more formal; emphasises careful, steady attention to detail

  • industrious

    formal; suggests producing a lot through constant activity

  • conscientious

    stresses care and a sense of duty rather than sheer hours

  • studious

    narrower; specifically about putting effort into studying

Antonyms
  • lazy

    common informal opposite; avoiding effort

  • idle

    slightly more formal; doing little or no work

  • slack

    informal; doing less effort than expected

Usage Note

Almost always used positively, as a compliment about a person, team, family, or group. Predicative use ("He is hard-working") and attributive use ("a hard-working nurse") are both common; the hyphen is standard in British English, while American writing sometimes drops it as "hardworking".

Common Mistakes

She works very hard-working every day.
She works very hard every day.
"hard-working" is an adjective describing a person; the adverb form is just "hard".
This is a hard-working job.
This is a demanding job.
"hard-working" describes the person doing the work, not the job itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe someone who puts real effort into work, but the feel is different. "Hard-working" is the everyday, neutral choice — you can use it about a child, a parent, an employee, or a whole community without sounding stiff. "Diligent" is more formal and points to careful, steady attention to detail, often appearing in school reports or job references ("a diligent researcher"). "Industrious" suggests visible, constant activity that produces a lot, and tends to describe whole groups or eras ("an industrious town of weavers"). "Conscientious" focuses less on hours worked and more on a person's sense of duty and care — a conscientious doctor checks every detail because they feel responsible, not just because they are busy. So in casual praise, say "hard-working"; in a written reference, "diligent" or "conscientious" sounds more polished.

hard-working ↗diligentindustriousconscientious ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • extremely hard-working
  • incredibly hard-working
  • genuinely hard-working

Phrases

  • honest and hard-working
  • quiet but hard-working
  • talented and hard-working

Etymology

Old EnglishModern English

A compound adjective formed in English from the adverb "hard" (in the sense "with great effort") plus the present participle "working". The pattern dates from the 1700s, when English freely combined an adverb with a verb's -ing form to describe how someone behaves (compare "easy-going", "slow-moving"). The hyphenated spelling remains standard in British English; American writers often close it up as "hardworking".