frugality

American  

[froo-gal-i-tee] / fruˈgæl ɪ ti /

Also frugalness

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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonfrugality noun
• overfrugality noun
• unfrugality noun

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. ); frugal ( def. )

Example Sentences

You learn where splurging matters to you — good olive oil and great bread, perhaps — and where frugality feels easy rather than punitive.

From Salon

If the cultural mood continues tilting toward frugality and retreat, companies that built strategies on steady upward mobility may need to revise expectations.

From MarketWatch

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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.

From BBC

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.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• moderation
• prudence
• thrift