frugality

Also fru·gal·ness

[froo-gal-i-tee]

noun

1. the quality of being frugal, or prudent in saving; the lack of wastefulness.

   Many people who have lived through periods of economic deprivation develop lifelong habits of frugality and are almost never tempted by wasteful consumption.

Other Word Forms

• nonfrugality noun
• overfrugality noun
• unfrugality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of frugality¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from French frugalité, from Latin frūgālitāt-, stem of frūgālitās, equivalent to frūgāli(s) “economic” + -tās -ty ² ( def. ); frugal ( def. )

Example Sentences

The frugality of the middle-class customer figures as a recurring theme in recent corporate earnings reports.

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This uncertainty is encouraging many of China's youth to instead embrace frugality, and social media has been flooded with tips on how people can survive on small amounts of money.

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In fact, some people reach the 10% milestone through extreme frugality, or through a comfortable but ultimately ordinary lifestyle that allows them to keep investing aggressively.

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Years of frugality tugged at my brain, but I plunked down her credit card for the better mattress.

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Consumer companies are getting hit by the frugality.

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Related Words

• moderation 
• prudence 
• thrift