frugal Hear it!

frugal Definition

fru·gal (fro̵̅o̅′gəl)

adjective

  1. not wasteful; not spending freely or unnecessarily; thrifty; economical
  2. not costly or luxurious; inexpensive or meager a frugal meal

Etymology: L frugalis < frugi, fit for food, hence proper, worthy, frugal, orig. dat. of frux (gen. frugis), fruits, produce: for IE base see fruit

frugal Related Forms

fru·gal′·ity (-gal′ə tē) noun pl. -·ties fru′·gally adverb

frugal Synonyms

frugal

modif.

  1. Not wasteful

    thrifty, saving, prudent, parsimonious; see careful, economical 1.

  2. Not costly or luxurious

    meager, skimpy, Spartan; see moderate 5, scanty. See syn. study at thrifty.

frugal Usage Examples

Preposition: with

money: Even the parsimonious Henry, always inclined to be very frugal with money, spent lavishly on the celebrations.

Modifies a noun

  • lifestyle: Here are some helpful student web sites online to help you save: Step Five Live a frugal lifestyle.
  • living: Well ten years of frugal living has certainly taken its toll.
  • existence: Theirs was a frugal existence, living on what they grew.
  • meal: Then, dressed in black and blue tartan, they ate a frugal meal of oatmeal porridge and began their rigorous day.
  • life: I dream that we will all live simple, frugal lives in order not to waste unduly the precious resources of our planet.
  • way: The frugal way would be to save up and not take out a loan.

Modifying Another Word

  • even: I don't think I'm particularly profligate, ( in fact, even frugal on occasion!
  • very: In fact come the spring they had hardly touched the stores, being northern black bees they were very frugal.
  • so: Are you so frugal that you don't mind reading books online to save some money?
  • relatively: Actually I consider that we are relatively frugal with heating.
  • rather: Visitors were served a rather frugal fare in the Cistercian guesthall.
  • still: Best to drive is the 1.3-litre Sirion, which is nippy yet still frugal at a claimed 48mpg overall.