work ethic
7 synonyms and 3 antonyms for work ethic, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A person's attitude to work, and how hard, reliably and conscientiously they apply themselves to it.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A person's attitude to work, and how hard, reliably and conscientiously they apply themselves to it.
“Her work ethic is the reason she was promoted twice in a year.”
Opposites
2. noun
A shared belief within a culture or organisation that hard work is virtuous and worth doing for its own sake.
“The company's work ethic runs on long hours and little praise.”
How to use work ethic
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Two words, not one; "workethic" is always wrong. Almost always modified — a strong, poor or relentless work ethic — and a staple of job applications and references, where it risks sounding like filler unless backed by an example.
