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

He knows the conditions, knows his game and can bowl economical and rapid spells.

From BBC

When Belichick was the de facto general manager, the Patriots earned a reputation for being economical.

From The Wall Street Journal

So-called Kei cars - short for kei-jidōsha, literally "light vehicle" - became popular in Japan after World War Two as an economical means of transport in its crowded cities.

From BBC

But based on Steel’s models, that deficit is expected to shrink in 2026 and 2027 — as the run-up in prices forces industrial buyers to be more economical, while denting demand for silver jewelry.

From MarketWatch

Songwriting is essentially about compression, how economical you can be with your words and phrases and sentences.

From Salon

Related Words

• cost-effective
• efficient
• practical
• prudent