frugality
froo-GAL-ih-tee
/fruːˈɡæl.ə.ti/
The quality of being economical with money or food; thriftiness.
Carries a positive or neutral connotation of wise, non-wasteful resource management without necessarily being poor.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'frugalitas', from 'frux' (fruit or produce). In Roman agrarian culture, a farmer who harvested and preserved fruit wisely showed 'frugalitas'.
Word relationships
- thrift: Thrift focuses on clever management and saving, while frugality stresses careful avoidance of waste.
- parsimony: Parsimony is extreme or stingy reluctance to spend, whereas frugality is balanced and sensible restraint.
- extravagance: Extravagance is wild, wasteful spending beyond reasonable bounds.
- profligacy: Profligacy implies reckless, immoral squandering of resources.
Commonly confused with
- miserliness: Miserliness is hoarding money out of fear or greed; frugality is smart and disciplined spending.
Word family
- frugal (adjective): Sparing or economical with regard to money or food.
- frugally (adverb): In a frugal manner.
Collocations
- strict frugality
- forced frugality
- habit of frugality
- practice frugality
Example sentences
- "Her lifelong habit of frugality allowed her to retire comfortably at fifty despite earning a modest salary." Financial Philosophy
Memory hook
A FRUGAL farmer saves all his FRUIT. Preserving the fruits of labor.
When not to use
Do not confuse with stinginess or cheapness, which imply withholding money out of malice or greed.
Fun facts
- Benjamin Franklin listed frugality as virtue number five in his famous autobiography's thirteen virtues list.
Related words
Explore more words
frugal, thrift, economize, extravagance, parsimonious, extravagant
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