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

Folks who are frugal tend to frown on the frivolous frittering away of the fruits of their labor, so it may surprise you to learn that frugal comes from the Latin word frūx, which means, among other things, “fruit.” Perhaps because of fruit’s financial value, from frūx followed frūgī, an adjective meaning “deserving, sober, or thrifty,” which finagled its way into Late Latin in the form of frūgālis (“not given to excess; temperate, sober, simple”), then Middle French, and finally English, as the familiar frugal. Today, frugal is used to describe things that reflect a fastidious dedication to foregoing the fancy, as in “he insists on a frugal diet of fungi and fava beans.” Frugal can also describe a person, usually with respect to money, but one can be frugal with other things, too, such as words that start with the letter f, though we certainly haven’t been in this paragraph.

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

The book also provides a glimpse of the frugal life led by monks as well as the complexity of human existence in South Asia’s rural pockets. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 Dec. 2024

Her frugal immigrant parents bring their own food, and Nate’s meddlesome mom harangues her son about his career and her desperation for a grandchild. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024

For these parents, frugal habits start at home American Ben Shelton moves on, Andy Murray pulls out at Wimbledon The crucial questions about gender care are not political or legal CMS moves to patch $3 billion fraud problem This hospital is not only treating gun violence. —Washington Post, 25 July 2024

The fragile baubles were embellished with tiny beads and sequins and stuffed with dryer lint—Big Mama was notoriously frugal. —Katie Akin, Southern Living, 5 Dec. 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

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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