economical
Americanadjective
-
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
adjective
-
using the minimum required; not wasteful of time, effort, resources, etc
an economical car
an economical style
-
frugal; thrifty
she was economical by nature
-
euphemistic deliberately withholding information (esp in the phrase economical with the truth )
Synonym Usage
See frugal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of economical
Explanation
Someone who is economical avoids wasting things, like money or food. So if someone sees you wrapping up a bite of food that could be part of tomorrow's lunch, don't let him call you "cheap." Tell him you are economical. The adjective economical often describes someone who is frugal with money, but the word can apply to those who avoid wasting resources of any kind. An economical speaker, for example, avoids wasting words and doesn’t talk any more than is absolutely necessary. Someone who is economical with his time gets things done efficiently, just as an economical dishwasher uses the precise amount of water and electricity.
Vocabulary lists containing economical
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
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Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down This Wall" (1987)
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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.
Overton was the pick, returning his most economical figures when bowling his full allocation of four in a T20 international.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The canal "opens up the shortest, most economical and most convenient route" to Southeast Asia and will boost economic development, Xinhua said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Such a replacement will fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy, but would be simpler and more economical to build, operate, and maintain,” the administration’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
That could make advanced tools less wasteful and more economical while preserving the extreme hardness required for industrial use.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the first case he must be economical; in the second, he must not hold back any part of his generosity.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
