economical

[ ek-uh-nom-i-kuhl, ee-kuh- ]
/ ˌɛk əˈnɒm ɪ kəl, ˌi kə- /

adjective

avoiding waste or extravagance; thrifty: an economical meal; an economical use of interior space.

Origin of economical

First recorded in 1570–80; economic + -al1

SYNONYMS FOR economical

1 saving, provident, sparing, parsimonious. Economical, thrifty, frugal imply careful and saving use of resources. Economical implies prudent planning in the disposition of resources so as to avoid unnecessary waste or expense: economical in budgeting household expenditures. Thrifty is a stronger word than economical, and adds to it the idea of industry and successful management: a thrifty shopper looking for bargains. Frugal emphasizes being saving, sometimes excessively saving, especially in such matters as food or dress: frugal almost to the point of being stingy.

OTHER WORDS FROM economical

Example sentences from the Web for economical

British Dictionary definitions for economical

economical
/ (ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkəl, ˌɛkə-) /

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)