frugal

[ froo-guhl ]

adjective

1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful:

   What your office needs is a frugal manager who can save you money without resorting to painful cutbacks.

   Synonyms: penny-pinching, tight, stingy, miserly, prudent, careful, provident, chary, thrifty

   Antonyms: profligate, prodigal, spendthrift, extravagant, wasteful

2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty:

   a frugal meal.

   Synonyms: skimpy, sparing, slim, scant

   Antonyms: profuse, lavish, luxurious

frugal

/ ˈfruːɡəl /

adjective

1. practising economy; living without waste; thrifty
2. not costly; meagre

Derived Forms

• fruˈgality, noun
• ˈfrugally, adverb

Other Words From

• fru·gal·i·ty [froo-, gal, -i-tee], fru·gal·ness noun
• fru·gal·ly adverb
• non·fru·gal adjective
• non·fru·gal·ness noun
• o·ver·fru·gal adjective
• un·fru·gal adjective
• un·fru·gal·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of frugal¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin frūgālis “economical,” derivative of the indeclinable adjective frūgī (dative singular of frūx “produce, fruit”) + -ālis adjective suffix; fruit, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of frugal¹

C16: from Latin frūgālis , from frūgī useful, temperate, from frux fruit

Synonym Study

Frugal, economical, thrifty imply careful and saving use of resources. Frugal emphasizes being saving, sometimes excessively saving, especially in such matters as food or dress: frugal almost to the point of being stingy. Economical implies prudent planning in the disposition of resources so as to avoid unnecessary waste or expense: economical in budgeting household expenditures. Thrifty is a stronger word than economical and adds to it the idea of industry and successful management: a thrifty shopper looking for bargains.

Example Sentences

Rothschild is all-too-aware of that when it comes to space, being frugal about resources is paramount.

From The Daily Beast

The former software engineer had retired six years before at the tender age of 30, thanks to the savings he’d accrued through the extremely frugal lifestyle he and his wife at the time had adhered to, as well as some smart investing.

From Outside Online

She and her husband, both of whom are extremely frugal, make our home their annual, and only, vacation.

From Washington Post

The Patriots of old — teams that had the benefit of the best quarterback in NFL history on the roster — were typically frugal spenders in free agency.

From FiveThirtyEight

Be as frugal as you can, call on favors, fundraise, apply for funding.

From Ozy

Even a frugal firm like Wal-Mart is enlarging its Silicon Valley presence.

From The Daily Beast

Much of the praise Edwards earned for his Godzilla adaptation stemmed from his frugal use of the monster.

From The Daily Beast

It could be that is exactly what frugal Pope Francis has in mind for the Bishop of Bling.

From The Daily Beast

Grey played Christine, a high-class escort in New York City whose clients have become more frugal due to the financial crisis.

From The Daily Beast

“My grandmother didn't die poor, but the majority of what she did was very frugal,” he says to me.

From The Daily Beast

He was of frugal and temperate habits, a wiry man at the height of his physical powers, with lean flanks and a deep chest.

From Project Gutenberg

"He'll do until the doctor comes to-morrow," said Seth, as he presently found Barrington at the frugal meal.

From Project Gutenberg

They are, however, happy on account of their simple manners and frugal way of life.

From Project Gutenberg

Truphemy not knowing him, he was pointed out partaking of a frugal breakfast with the family.

From Project Gutenberg

Both were frugal men, and they now decided to invest all their funds in the scheme, which promised to make or break them.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• canny
• careful
• meticulous
• prudent
• stingy
• thrifty