adjective
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showing thrift; economical or frugal
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rare thriving or prospering
Synonym Usage
See frugal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overthriftinessnoun
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thriftinessnoun
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unthriftinessnoun
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overthriftyadjective
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unthriftyadjective
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overthriftilyadverb
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thriftilyadverb
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unthriftilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of thrifty
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; see origin at thrift, -y 1
Explanation
Being thrifty means being careful of your money and how you spend it. Think twice before you spend, but if you must shop, hitting the sales and using coupons are good ways to be thrifty. Note the similarity between the adjective thrifty and the verb thrive, and you'll realize that being careful with your money might be an important survival tactic. Everyone worries about having enough — look at how thrift shops have become important sources of clothing and other goods for many people, allowing them to buy without spending a fortune. Being thrifty is a solid virtue, as suggested by the old German proverb, "Prudent men woo thrifty women."
Vocabulary lists containing thrifty
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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"The Necklace" and "The Fashion Show"
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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.
See Examples For:
She was a thrifty person who rarely spent money on herself.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
The Wall Street Journal spoke to thrifty soccer admirers about how they made their World Cup dreams a reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
In keeping with this thrifty living, most of his exercise is done using free outdoor gyms, with his online followers holding him to account for that, too.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Even so, she came away with a positive impression of a thrifty, humble and ambitious man, who was sending money home to his family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Mother is not only virtuous and thrifty, but wise.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
While affluent Americans are getting thriftier on essentials, they are still spending on extras like wellness and travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
But new survey data show that baby boomers — America’s richest generation and one often perceived as being thriftier those that followed — are more wasteful in certain spending categories than younger people.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Starting last year, rising interest rates and inflation made advertisers thriftier, undermining the sales and profit of Google and its peers Snap and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
Sun Lee, who owns a women's clothing boutique Aria in Toronto, noticed fewer and thriftier customers entering the store since the pandemic.
From Reuters ● Mar. 22, 2023
There was even—if I wrong him, it is no great matter—a glance sidelong at his living spouse, as if he were inclined to drive a thriftier bargain by bespeaking four gravestones in a lot.
From Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne
United already was one of the thriftiest spenders in MLS, and the latest belt-tightening left Olsen squeezing all he could out of a depleted roster.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2020
Goleta's customers are among the thriftiest with 55 gallons a day, compared the state average of 70 gallons, McInnes said.
From US News ● Aug. 19, 2016
Overnight I became the thriftiest person you’ve ever met—bar those people who split their toilet paper in half.
From Forbes ● Sep. 10, 2014
At just over two hours, with intermission, it’s certainly the thriftiest “Threepenny Opera” I’ve yet seen.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2014
We are the sharpest and thriftiest people alive in private affairs, and in public matters the most absolute fly-gobblers in the whole world!'
From France and the Republic A Record of Things Seen and Learned in the French Provinces During the 'Centennial' Year 1889 by William Henry Hurlbert
Definitions 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.
