What’s the difference between industrious and industrial?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused by learners of English: industrious and industrial.

industrious

function playAudio(url) { new Audio(url).play(); }

An industrious person works very hard.

She was industrious and always trying to improve herself.

Michael was an intelligent, industrious man.

industrial

function playAudio(url) { new Audio(url).play(); }

Use industrial to describe things related to making goods in factories.

They have increased their industrial production in recent years.

The company is located in an industrial zone to the east of the city.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

Vane, vein or vain?

The words vane, vein and vain are pronounced the same but each has a different meaning. This article explains how each word is used in English. vane Vane is a countable noun. A weather vane is a metal object on the roof of a building which turns round as the wind blows. It is used to … Read More

Proper nouns

Nouns that are really names of particular people, places or things are called proper nouns. Proper nouns and titles are always written with an initial capital letter. They include: The names of specific peopleAnna DicksonMr John MertonUncle Liam Geographical places SpainThe ThamesHome FarmGlen RoadMount Fuji Planets and galaxies JupiterEarthMilky Way Days… Read More

Principle or principal?

Principle is always a noun. A principle is a general rule that someone’s behaviour or ideas are based on. She did not eat meat because it was against her principles. We follow the principle that everyone should be treated equally. Principal can be an adjective. The principal thing or person in a group is the… Read More