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frugal

frugal

31 4.9
Careful about spending money and not wasting things
  • adjective
  • /ˈfruːɡəl/
translation icon : frugal
  • That's a very frugal lunch you've got there.
  • frugal life
  • more frugal
  • frugal use

So I actually say be frugal with your time, not your money.

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Examples

  • The purchase was very out of character; my mother had always been a frugal and efficient shopper.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • He's a frugal man, and a frugal man cannot possibly understand the poetry of the auction.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • So I actually say be frugal with your time, not your money.

  • And we are super, we are living super frugal at that point.

  • I have to make do with the frugal breakfast, which is also my lunch.

  • Although she was frugal, she did not think of herself as poor.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In his campaign for the presidency, Carter had promised to be frugal and to "never tell a lie."

    Academic text (2006)
  • My mother, although financially comfortable, had been frugal in choosing an apartment.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She's Scottish, so she's very frugal and so she wants to save money.

  • Many families are choosing to be frugal in order to save for their children's education.

Synonyms

careful
vsfrugal
38 1.0

Avoiding waste when spending money

is more about actively limiting use to necessities
economical
vsfrugal
23 3.8

Not using much money or resources and avoiding waste

stresses limiting use to only what is necessary
thrifty
vsfrugal
10 4.4

Being careful with money and things to avoid wasting them

places more emphasis on using only necessary resources
sparing
vsfrugal
1 3.9

Careful about using things so you do not waste them

focuses specifically on keeping use to necessary amounts
saving
vsfrugal
3.7

Careful about spending money and avoiding waste

implies deliberate restriction to essentials rather than a general habit of keeping money
stinting
vsfrugal
7.8

Not willing to give or spend much

is cautious without becoming unduly tight or ungenerous
pennywise
vsfrugal
7.5

Careful with small amounts of money and everyday spending

applies careful use to all necessary resources, not only small costs

Antonyms

48 3.0

Using more money or things than you need

20 7.1

Spending much more money than is needed

How Frugal

parsimonious
2 9.9
stingy
26 5.2
frugal
31 4.9
thrifty
10 4.4
economical
23 3.8

Surface Forms

frugal positive
frugaler comparative
frugalest superlative

Etymology

Frugal comes from the Latin root frux, meaning 'fruit' or 'useful'. Think of being frugal as getting the most 'fruit' from what you have—using only what you need and not wasting things, which is why it means careful with money or resources.