Frugal
adj.thoughtful, capablewarm
What it means
Careful and sensible in the use of money or resources.
Reach for it when praising careful use of money or resources without needless waste
The frugal cook turned leftovers into a nourishing soup.
Choose between these
6- warm
limited materials are used inventively
not when Resourcefulness can coexist with generous spending.
- warm
habitual saving is the personal virtue
not when Some audiences hear thrifty as dated or narrowly monetary.
- professional
low cost or resource use is measurable
not when Economical can describe a machine without any deliberate care.
- professional
future risk guides careful spending
not when Prudence is broader than resource economy.
- formal
sparing
very little of a resource is used
not when Sparing use can become inadequate or ungenerous.
- literary
austere
severe simplicity and restraint define the choice
not when Austere suggests deprivation and is not praise for comfortable frugality.
Said against
4- wasteful
- extravagant
- profligate
- lavish
It naturally appears in
3- frugal lifestyle
Their frugal lifestyle left room for generous gifts.
- frugal choice
Repairing the chair was a frugal choice.
- frugal with resources
The workshop stays frugal with resources without risking safety.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: economical and sparing opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.