frugal

adjective

fru·​gal ˈfrü-gəl 

: characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources

frugally

ˈfrü-gə-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Frugal Has Surprising Roots

Those who are frugal are unwilling to (lavishly) enjoy the fruits of their labors, so it may surprise you to learn that frugal ultimately derives from the Latin frux, meaning "fruit" or "value," and is even a distant cousin of the Latin word for "enjoy" (frui). The connection between fruit or value and restraint was first made in Latin; the Middle French word that English speakers eventually adopted as frugal came from the Latin adjective frugalis, a frux descendant meaning "virtuous" or "frugal." Although English speakers adopted frugal by the 16th century, they were already lavishly supplied with earlier coinages to denote the idea, including sparing and thrifty.

Synonyms

• economical
• economizing
• provident
• scrimping
• sparing
• thrifty

Choose the Right Synonym for frugal

sparing, frugal, thrifty, economical mean careful in the use of one's money or resources.

sparing stresses abstention and restraint.

sparing in the offering of advice

frugal implies absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle.

ran a frugal household

thrifty stresses good management and industry.

thrifty use of nonrenewable resources

economical stresses prudent management, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage.

an economical health care plan

Examples of frugal in a Sentence

His meals are the frugal fare of the poor: tea, bread, yogurt, a bit of cheese, vegetables. —Johanna McGeary, Time, 25 Oct. 2004

Like frugal cooks everywhere, Cajun cooks from generations past found plenty of ways to use every part of the animals they raised. —Jeremy Sauer, Cook's Country, June 1995

In a frugal white frame house of tiny rooms that shook with every passing freight train, five boys of German immigrant background had grown up at the turn of the twentieth century. —Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988

a frugal meal of bread and cheese

by being frugal, the family is able to stretch its monthly budget

Recent Examples on the Web

But a new trend is sweeping the other way — urging repurposing, more frugal lifestyles and prioritizing quality over quantity. —Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune Europe, 13 Aug. 2024

The other side: He's been criticized for botching the end of the Bulls dynasty and has been maligned for frugal spending for both franchises. —Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024

Intel Core Ultra 200: Drastically lower power and thermals The key takeaway, though, is that the Core Ultra 200 series will be far more power frugal, drawing up to 165W less than the 14th gen models, with the Core Ultra 9 285K drawing on average 80W less in games. —Antony Leather, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

And due to higher costs, Sago found that shoppers have become more frugal and bargain-seeking. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Late Latin frūgālis "not given to excess, temperate, sober, simple" (early Medieval Latin also "thrifty, sparing"), back-formation from Latin frūgālior, frūgālissimus and frūgāliter, comparative and superlative degrees and adverbial derivative (with the suffix -āl- -al entry 1) of frūgī "(of people, especially slaves) having merit or worth, deserving, sober, thrifty," "(of things) moderate, sober," predicative dative of frūg-, frūx (usually in plural) "edible produce of plants, fruit, crops, grain," root noun from the base of fruor, fruī "to enjoy the produce or proceeds of, derive advantage from" — more at fruit entry 1

Note: The dative noun frūgī must originally have been used with a modifying adjective in a construction such as esse frūgī bonae "to be capable of giving a good harvest or good return," first applied to things, then extended to persons.

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

frugal

adjective

fru·​gal ˈfrü-gəl 

: careful in spending or using resources

frugality

frü-ˈgal-ət-ē 

noun

frugally

ˈfrü-gə-lē 

adverb