to apply oneself
10
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /əˈplaɪ jʊrˈsɛlf/
:
aplicarse
- You must apply yourself more diligently, Draculaura.
- you only apply yourself
- just apply yourself
- you need to apply yourself
Examples
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You realized a goal, you rolled up your sleeves and you applied yourself.
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Josh is a very bright young man, but if he does not apply himself, he's not going to pass my class.
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So no matter what you do, just apply yourself.
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Because I know what you could be if you just apply yourself.
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If you applied yourself, you might actually turn into a star.
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If you apply yourself, you can rise above your mother and the others in the quarter.
Fiction book (2002) -
Certainly, you will apply yourself more if you enjoy your work.
Blog text (23) -
Well, that test proves what you can do... when you apply yourself.
-
If you are willing to apply yourself diligently to the inquirer's lessons, you may do well.
Blog text (29) -
If you apply yourself diligently to your studies, you will achieve your goals.
Synonyms
465
3.7
Give time, effort and money to a person, project or cause
41
4.2
To work hard and focus on a task
14
3.5
To focus all your attention and effort on achieving something
4
3.5
Try much harder to work or train
1
6.9
To make a big effort beyond your usual limits
Antonyms
How Focused
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'apply' (to put into effect/use) combined with the reflexive 'oneself' yields a fairly predictable sense of directing action toward oneself — i.e., devoting effort — but the specific pragmatic meaning 'work hard and give full attention' is an extended, somewhat metaphoric reading that a B1 learner may not fully infer without exposure. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'aplicarse') make the construction discoverable, so it is partially compositional but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Apply oneself may come from the simple image of apply meaning 'to put' and oneself meaning 'you', as if you literally put yourself onto a task. Imagine pressing glue or paint so it sticks to a surface — that's why it means 'to work hard and give your full attention'.