frugality

F4R1U1G2A1L1I1T1Y4
/fɹuːˈɡæləti/

noun

The quality of being frugal; prudent economy.

“Near-synonyms: (usually admirable) economy, thrift, thriftiness, parsimony; (excessive degree) tightness, stinginess; (extreme degree) miserliness; see also Thesaurus:frugal, Thesaurus:stingy”

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

nounfrugality (countable and uncountable, plural frugalities)

plural frugalities

  1. countableuncountableThe quality of being frugal; prudent economy.

    Near-synonyms: (usually admirable) economy, thrift, thriftiness, parsimony; (excessive degree) tightness, stinginess; (extreme degree) miserliness; see also Thesaurus:frugal, Thesaurus:stingy

    2 more examples

    Your sense of honour and honesty would have led you, I know, when aware of your situation, to attempt all the economy that would appear to you possible; and, perhaps, as long as your frugality retrenched only on your own comfort, you might have been suffered to practice it, but beyond that—

    1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 47

    With the frugality that hard graft begets, his mate limited both his and her own tobacco, so he must not smoke all afternoon.

    1902, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Bush Studies (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 14

    Synonyms: economy, thrift, thriftiness, parsimony, tightness, stinginess, miserliness

  2. countableuncountableA sparing use; sparingness.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe quality of being frugal; prudent economy.

More synonyms by meaning

nounprudence in avoiding waste

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Frenchfrugalité
  2. Englishfrugality

Borrowed from Middle French frugalité. By surface analysis, frugal + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek φειδωλία
  • φειδωλία (pheidōlía)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Bulgarian пестеливост
  • пестеливост (pestelivost)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Catalan frugalitat
  • frugalitatquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Czech skromnost, spořivost
  • skromnostquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • spořivostquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Danish nøjsomhed, beskedenhed
  • nøjsomhedquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • beskedenhedquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • sparsommelighedquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Dutch zuinigheid, spaarzaamheid
  • zuinigheidquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • spaarzaamheidquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • frugaliteitquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • soberheidquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • matigheidquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Finnish säästäväisyys, nuukuus
  • säästäväisyysquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • nuukuusquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
French frugalité
  • frugalitéquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
German Genügsamkeit, Einfachheit
  • Genügsamkeitquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • Einfachheitquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • Frugalitätquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • Sparsamkeitquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Greek λιτότητα
  • λιτότητα (litótita)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Irish baileachas, cruinneas
  • baileachasquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • cruinneasquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • spárálachtquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • tíosaíochtquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Italian frugalità
  • frugalitàquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Latin parsimōnia, frūgālitās
  • parsimōniaquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • frūgālitāsquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Norwegian Bokmål måtehold, sparsommelighet
  • måteholdquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • sparsommelighetquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Portuguese frugalidade
  • frugalidadequality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Punjabi ਕਮਖਰਚੀ
  • ਕਮਖਰਚੀ (kamkharacī)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Romanian cumpătare, frugalitate
  • cumpătarequality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • frugalitatequality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Russian бережли́вость, эконо́мность
  • бережли́вость (berežlívostʹ)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • эконо́мность (ekonómnostʹ)quality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Spanish frugalidad, parsimonia
  • frugalidadquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • parsimoniaquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Turkish tutumluluk
  • tutumlulukquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Welsh cynildeb, darbodaeth
  • cynildebquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
  • darbodaethquality of being frugal; prudent economy; thrift
Cite this entry
APA

frugality. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frugality

MLA

“frugality.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frugality. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “frugality,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/frugality.

Source: frugality on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.