Frugal Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Those who are frugal are unwilling to (lavishly) enjoy the fruits of their labors, so it may surprise you to learn that frugal ultimately derives from the Latin ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks JoinMWU MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut frugal adjective SaveWord fru·​gal |\ˈfrü-gəl \ Definitionoffrugal :characterizedbyorreflectingeconomyintheuseofresources OtherWordsfromfrugal Synonyms&Antonyms ChoosetheRightSynonym FrugalHasSurprisingRoots ExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutfrugal OtherWordsfromfrugal frugally \ ˈfrü-​gə-​lē \ adverb Synonyms&Antonymsforfrugal Synonyms economical,economizing,provident,scrimping,sparing,thrifty Antonyms prodigal,profligate,spendthrift,squandering,thriftless,unthrifty,wasteful VisittheThesaurusforMore  ChoosetheRightSynonymforfrugal sparing,frugal,thrifty,economicalmeancarefulintheuseofone'smoneyorresources.sparingstressesabstentionandrestraint. sparingintheofferingofadvice frugalimpliesabsenceofluxuryandsimplicityoflifestyle. ranafrugalhousehold thriftystressesgoodmanagementandindustry. thriftyuseofnonrenewableresources economicalstressesprudentmanagement,lackofwastefulness,anduseofthingstotheirbestadvantage. aneconomicalhealth-careplan FrugalHasSurprisingRoots Thosewhoarefrugalareunwillingto(lavishly)enjoythefruitsoftheirlabors,soitmaysurpriseyoutolearnthat frugal ultimatelyderivesfromtheLatin frux,meaning"fruit"or"value,"andisevenadistantcousinoftheLatinwordfor"enjoy"(frui).TheconnectionbetweenfruitorvalueandrestraintwasfirstmadeinLatin;theMiddleFrenchwordthatEnglishspeakerseventuallyadoptedas frugal camefromtheLatinadjective frugalis,a frux descendantmeaning"virtuous"or"frugal."AlthoughEnglishspeakersadopted frugal bythe16thcentury,theywerealreadylavishlysuppliedwithearliercoinagestodenotetheidea,including sparing and thrifty. ExamplesoffrugalinaSentence Hismealsarethefrugalfareofthepoor:tea,bread,yogurt,abitofcheese,vegetables. —JohannaMcGeary,Time,25Oct.2004 Likefrugalcookseverywhere,Cajuncooksfromgenerationspastfoundplentyofwaystouseeverypartoftheanimalstheyraised. —JeremySauer,Cook'sCountry,June1995 Inafrugalwhiteframehouseoftinyroomsthatshookwitheverypassingfreighttrain,fiveboysofGermanimmigrantbackgroundhadgrownupattheturnofthetwentiethcentury. —RobertD.Kaplan,AnEmpireWilderness,1988 afrugalmealofbreadandcheese bybeingfrugal,thefamilyisabletostretchitsmonthlybudget RecentExamplesontheWeb Thatpotentialreduction,whichwasstipulatedbythelegislature,isofgreatconcerntolaboradvocateswhoarguetheprogramalreadyisfartoofrugal. — KeithM.Phaneuf,HartfordCourant,6Aug.2022 TheDaciaprovedreliable,frugal,andcomfytodriveandsleepin. — JonathonRamsey,CarandDriver,8July2022 ProfessorVijayPereiraarguesthatsomecultureshavenaturallyfollowedfrugalinnovationduetolimitedresourcesandlackoffinance. — BenjaminLaker,Forbes,5May2022 WithhighinflationcostingmanyAmericansmore,asmallbutenthusiasticgroupofalready-super-frugalpeoplearetakingtheirsavingstrategiesfurther. — ClareAnsberry,WSJ,17June2022 Adviceforoverlyfrugalpeoplewhodon'tknowhowtospendmoney,sometimesattheirownexpense,ishardertofind. — Fortune,29May2022 Moneyistakenfromfrugalpeopleandgiventospendthrifts. — WilliamBaldwin,Forbes,9Dec.2021 Barnettspentherlifebeingfrugalandcarefulwithherfinances,runningasmallgraphicdesignbusiness,savingforretirementandpayingpremiumsforlong-termhealthcareinsurance. — DianeBellcolumnist,SanDiegoUnion-Tribune,30June2022 JeffBeaudryofLaurelmaybeabitfrugalhimself—oratleastsomeonewhohatestoseeaperfectlygooditemtossedout. — JohnKelly,WashingtonPost,29June2022 SeeMore Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'frugal.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. FirstKnownUseoffrugal 1542,inthemeaningdefinedabove HistoryandEtymologyforfrugal MiddleFrenchorLatin;MiddleFrench,fromLatinfrugalisvirtuous,frugal,fromfrug-,fruxfruit,value;akintoLatinfruitoenjoy LearnMoreAboutfrugal Sharefrugal PosttheDefinitionoffrugaltoFacebook SharetheDefinitionoffrugalonTwitter TimeTravelerforfrugal Thefirstknownuseoffrugalwas in1542 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear ListentoOurPodcastAboutfrugal ThememusicbyJoshuaStamper©2006NewJerusalemMusic/ASCAP GetWordoftheDaydeliveredtoyourinbox! SignUp FromtheEditorsatMerriam-Webster 10WordsShakespeareNeverInvented 10WordsShakespeareNeverInvented We'llexplaintheconfusion Trending:Frugal Trending:Frugal Awordofthemoment-fromonlinecommentaryaboutsurviving... DictionaryEntriesNearfrugal fructusnaturales frugal frugality SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforfrugal LastUpdated 10Aug2022 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Frugal.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frugal.Accessed10Aug.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforfrugal frugal adjective fru·​gal |\ˈfrü-gəl \ KidsDefinitionoffrugal 1 :carefulinspendingorusingsupplies 2 :simpleandwithoutunnecessarythings afrugalmeal OtherWordsfromfrugal frugally adverb MorefromMerriam-Websteronfrugal Nglish:TranslationoffrugalforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationoffrugalforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY trivial SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary TheGreatBritishVocabularyQuiz NamedafterSirRobertPeel,whatareBritishpolicecalled? Peelheads Robbies Bobbies Berties Testyourvocabularywithour10-questionquiz! TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. 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