What does industry mean?
Industry most commonly means a particular branch of the economy, such as the film, tourism, automotive, or technology industry. Such an industry consists of organizations and workers involved in producing goods, providing services, or carrying out related commercial activities. The word can also refer more broadly to a field of sustained endeavor, especially one requiring creativity, persistence, or technical skill: learning an instrument demands regular industry. In this older sense, the word is closely related to industrious, meaning hardworking and diligent. The distinction is important because industry is generally a noun naming a sector or a quality of effort, while industrious is an adjective describing a person or their behavior. The word is useful not only for discussing business and employment but also for describing the disciplined effort required to master a difficult craft or pursue a demanding goal.
A branch of economic activity involving the production of goods, provision of services, or pursuit of a particular kind of business activity.
"The renewable-energy industry has attracted substantial investment."
This is the dominant modern sense. It is used with an industry name or as part of a larger economic description.
Diligent and sustained effort devoted to a purpose or task.
"Her industry and attention to detail earned her rapid recognition."
This sense is literary or archaic and is much less common than the economic sense.
To work persistently and diligently toward a purpose.
"He industried himself in the workshop, producing a new cabinet every spring."
This use is uncommon in modern English and sounds literary or old-fashioned.
The plural refers to distinct sectors of economic activity or to separate fields of endeavor.
"Tourism and agriculture are important industries in the region."
Industry began as a synonym for diligence: even before it meant factories and markets, it meant the industrious habit of showing up and working with purpose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does industry come from?
The word comes from Latin industria, meaning diligence or purposeful activity, and is related to the Old French term industrie. Its earliest English uses referred to diligent or industrious effort before it developed the modern sense of a branch of economic production. The root also produced forms such as industrious, industrial, and industrialization, preserving the idea of purposeful work.
How industry is actually used
In its modern economic sense, the term is common in formal and professional contexts. The older sense meaning diligent effort is now literary or archaic and should not normally be confused with industrious, which is an adjective.
Easily confused with industry
Industry usually names an economic sector or field, whereas industrious describes a person who works hard and diligently.