Synonyms of thrifty

thrifty

adjective

ˈthrif-tē 

as in economical

careful in the management of money or resources

if you are thrifty, you can find ways to decorate your room stylishly yet inexpensively

Synonyms & Similar Words

• economical
• economizing
• frugal
• saving
• prudent
• provident
• conserving
• sparing
• preserving
• cheap
• scrimping
• foresighted
• penny-wise
• parsimonious
• forehanded
• miserly
• tightfisted
• stingy
• spare
• penurious
• close
• foresightful
• pinching
• mean
• penny-pinching
• tight
• closefisted
• stinting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wasteful
• spendthrift
• profligate
• unthrifty
• prodigal
• improvident
• generous
• liberal
• thriftless
• shortsighted
• charitable
• unselfish
• bountiful
• munificent
• squandering
• extravagant
• unsparing
• indulgent
• lavish
• openhanded
• freehanded

Synonym Chooser

How is the word thrifty distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of thrifty are economical, frugal, and sparing. While all these words mean "careful in the use of one's money or resources," thrifty stresses good management and industry.

thrifty use of nonrenewable resources

When is economical a more appropriate choice than thrifty?

Although the words economical and thrifty have much in common, economical stresses prudent management, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage.

an economical health-care plan

When can frugal be used instead of thrifty?

The meanings of frugal and thrifty largely overlap; however, frugal implies absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle.

ran a frugal household

When would sparing be a good substitute for thrifty?

The words sparing and thrifty can be used in similar contexts, but sparing stresses abstention and restraint.

sparing in the offering of advice

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of thrifty

Here are a few thrifty, vintage and secondhand alternatives for celebrating Black Friday and beyond, including more about Hidden Treasures. —Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025

Calvinists, who had once condemned the pursuit of profit, eventually embraced a vocation as rational actors driven by thrifty self-interest. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

While his performance brought the original light-heartedness of the thrifty doctor, per The Hollywood Reporter, the BBC quietly dropped it from the schedules as fans were simply not responding the same. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025

Kevin Beggs, chair of the Lionsgate Television Group, said TV buyers these days have been thrifty amid industry consolidation, a trend that might ease with Paramount now in the hands of David Ellison’s Skydance and its apparently greater appetite for more dramas. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025