economical

I

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Careful of expenditures]

Syn. thrifty, frugal, saving, sparing, prudent, careful, economizing, provident, niggardly, meager, miserly, stingy, mean, close, shabby, avaricious, penurious, chary, watchful, circumspect, parsimonious, conservative, tight*, closefisted*, penny-pinching*, cheeseparing*; see also stingy .

Ant. liberal, generous*, wasteful.

2. [Advantageously priced]

Syn. reasonable, inexpensive, cheap, sound, low-cost, fair, moderate, marked down, on sale, money-saving; see also cheap 1 .

3. [Making good use of materials]

Syn. practical, efficient, cost-effective, thrifty; see efficient 2 .

Syn.- economical implies prudent management of one's money or resources so as to avoid any waste in expenditure or use [ it is often economical to buy in large quantities ] ; thrifty implies industry and clever management of one's money or resources, usually so as to result in some savings [ the thrifty housewife watched for sales ] ; frugal stresses the idea of saving and suggests spending which excludes any luxury or lavishness and provides only the simplest fare, dress, etc. [ the Amish are a frugal people ] ; sparing implies such restraint in spending as restricts itself to the bare minimum or involves deprivation [sparing to the point of niggardliness ] ; provident implies management with the foresight to provide for future needs [ never provident , he quickly spent his inheritance ]

II

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. frugal conservative, thrifty, economizing, efficient, *penny-wise, tight, prudent, saving, scrimping.

2. inexpensive cheap, *dirt cheap, cost-effective, reasonable, budget, low-priced.

ANT.: 1. wasteful, extravagant. 2. expensive, costly, dear

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective Careful in the use of material resources: canny, chary, frugal, provident, prudent, saving, Scotch, sparing, thrifty. See CAREFUL, SAVE.