frugality
Americannoun
-
frugalities
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of frugality
First recorded in 1525–35; from French frugalité, from Latin frūgālitāt-, stem of frūgālitās, equivalent to frūgāli(s) “economic” + -tās -ty 2 ( def. ); see frugal ( def. )
Explanation
If you try to avoid waste by reusing and repurposing items that most people would throw away, your frugality will save you money. Some people use this word interchangeably with cheapness, but cheapness is an unwillingness to spend, while frugality is an unwillingness to waste. People who show frugality often find ways of making things useful that others do not. Even after the Depression ended, those who lived through it maintained their frugality, using old t-shirts for rags and washed-out cottage cheese containers instead of Tupperware.
Vocabulary lists containing frugality
Metamorphosis
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Born a Crime
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I can thank my past self’s frugality here.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
For some Fire followers though, extreme frugality is still the main way to achieve retirement early, and a sacrifice they see as worth it in the long term.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
His dad preached frugality, saving, investments and ownership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The frugality in “Hag” is apparent from its modest start.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
I’d have to tell Jemma more about Aunt Kitty and her frugality.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
It stretches from the glorious frugalities of Shaker furniture and Amish quilts to the sleek orthodox Minimalism of Donald Judd’s box sculptures and Agnes Martin’s horizontal-stripe paintings.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2011
But this record dictatorship is not all due to the personal virtue and public frugalities of Meritorious Gomez.
From Time Magazine Archive
He questioned M. Nioche about his own manner of life, and felt a friendly mixture of compassion and respect over the recital of his delicate frugalities.
From The American by Henry James
He hated waste of all kinds, save in words, and carried his home frugalities even to excess.
From Thomas Carlyle by John Nichol
Mrs. Megilp made up her little varnishes with the genuine gums of truth and wisdom; she put a beautiful shine even on to her limited opportunities and her enforced frugalities.
From Real Folks by A. D. T. (Adeline Dutton Train) Whitney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
