economical

American  

[ek-uh-nom-i-kuhl, ee-kuh-] / ˌɛk əˈnɒm ɪ kəl, ˌi kə- /

adjective

1. avoiding waste or extravagance; thrifty.

   an economical meal; an economical use of interior space.

   Synonyms:

   parsimonious, sparing, provident, saving

   Antonyms:

   profligate, prodigal, spendthrift, extravagant, wasteful

2. economic.

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economical British  

/ ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkəl, ˌɛkə- /

adjective

1. using the minimum required; not wasteful of time, effort, resources, etc

   an economical car

   an economical style

2. frugal; thrifty

   she was economical by nature

3. a variant of economic economic economic economic

4. euphemistic deliberately withholding information (esp in the phrase economical with the truth )

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Related Words

See frugal.

Other Word Forms

• noneconomical adjective
• noneconomically adverb
• preeconomical adjective
• preeconomically adverb
• pseudoeconomical adjective
• pseudoeconomically adverb
• quasi-economical adjective
• quasi-economically adverb
• uneconomical adjective
• uneconomically adverb

Etymology

Origin of economical

First recorded in 1570–80; economic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

For most of its runtime, “Undertone” is a new, defining example of economical horror filmmaking.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

As a result, researchers have been searching for a more efficient and economical way to produce these exceptionally tough materials.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

Zink Collection, a retailer of small accessories, says it uses the most economical shipping method available and tries to charge customers only part of the shipping cost.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

That homage did not extend to long soliloquy; “Burn the Water” is intentionally economical.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Another extraordinarily successful and economical example of weed control may be found in Australia.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• cost-effective
• efficient
• practical
• prudent