fru·gal

[froo-guhl]
adjective
1.
economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: What your office needs is a frugal manager who can save you money without resorting to painful cutbacks. thrifty, chary, provident, careful, prudent, penny-wise, scrimping; miserly, Scotch, penny-pinching. wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, prodigal, profligate.
2.
entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal. scant, slim, sparing, skimpy. luxurious, lavish, profuse.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin frūgālis economical, equivalent to frūg- (stem of frūx produce, fruit) + -ālis -al1

fru·gal·i·ty, fru·gal·ness, noun
fru·gal·ly, adverb
non·fru·gal, adjective
non·fru·gal·ly, adverb
non·fru·gal·ness, noun
o·ver·fru·gal, adjective
o·ver·fru·gal·ly, adverb
un·fru·gal, adjective
un·fru·gal·ly, adverb
un·fru·gal·ness, noun


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.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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having no finite limits
to give up or renounce authority especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner
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World English Dictionary
frugal (ˈfruːɡəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  practising economy; living without waste; thrifty
2.  not costly; meagre
 
[C16: from Latin frūgālis, from frūgī useful, temperate, from frux fruit]
 
fru'gality
 
n
 
'frugalness
 
n
 
'frugally
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

frugal
1590s, from M.Fr. frugal, from L. frugalis, from undeclined adj. frugi "economical, useful, proper," originally dat. of frux (pl. fruges) "fruit, profit, value," related to fructus (see fruit). Sense evolved in L. from "useful" to "profitable" to "economical." Related: Frugally.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Gradually he retreated from society to a solitary, frugal life in bedsitters.
Of course, none of this precludes the possibility that our frugal ways will
  endure even after the economy starts to recover.
They are also growing richer and are less frugal than their high-saving parents.
One by one luxuries disappeared from the table and few were ashamed of their
  frugal repasts.
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