frugal

English

WOTD – 24 March 2007

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin frugalis (“virtuous, thrifty”). Displaced native Old English spærhende (literally “spare-handed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹuːɡəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːɡəl

Adjective

frugal (comparative more frugal, superlative most frugal)

1. Of something which is consumed (such as money, goods, etc.): Careful or wise in expenditure; avoiding waste.

   frugal advice

   • 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III:

     By what a frugal man annually saves, he not only affords maintenance to an additional number of productive hands, for that or the ensuing year, but [also] establishes as it were a perpetual fund for the maintenance of an equal number in all times to come.

2. Of something which is supplied or used (especially food): Obtained by or characterized by frugality.

   frugal fortune; frugal fare

   frugal breakfast

   • 1762, Oliver Goldsmith, edited by Austin Dobson, The Citizen of the World, volume II, London: J. M. Dent and Co., published 1891, page 48:

     […] a frugal meal, which consisted of roots and tea, […]

   • 1868, Robert Browning, “Half-Rome” (chapter II), in The Ring and the Book:

     Pinching and paring he might furnish forth / A frugal board, bare sustenance, no more, […]

Synonyms

• cheap
• economical
• thrifty
• See also Thesaurus:frugal

Antonyms

• extravagant
• lavish
• prodigal
• spendthrift
• simple

Derived terms

• frugalism
• frugalist
• frugalista
• frugality
• frugalize
• frugally
• frugalness
• infrugal
• superfrugal
• unfrugal

Translations

economical, avoiding waste, thrifty

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: yığımcıl, qənaətcil (az)
• Belarusian: ашчадны (be) (aščadny)
• Bulgarian: пестелив (bg) (pesteliv), икономичен (bg) (ikonomičen)
• Catalan: frugal (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 節儉 / 节俭 (zh) (jiéjiǎn)

• Czech: skromný (cs) m, (of a person) spořivý m
• Danish: sparsommelig (da), mådeholden (da), nøjsom
• Dutch: zuinig (nl), spaarzaam (nl), frugaal (nl)
• Esperanto: ŝparema
• Finnish: säästäväinen (fi), nuuka (fi)
• French: frugal (fr)
• Galician: frugal (gl)
• Georgian: მომჭირნე (momč̣irne)
• German: genügsam (de), sparsam (de), schlicht (de)
• Greek: λιτός (el) m (litós), οικονόμος (el) (oikonómos), φειδωλός (el) (feidolós)
• Hebrew: חסכנות f
• Hungarian: takarékos (hu), beosztó (hu)
• Ido: frugala (io)
• Irish: spárálach
• Italian: frugale (it) m or f
• Japanese: 倹約な (ja) (ken'yaku na), 質素な (ja) (shisso na), 倹しい (ja) (tsumashii)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: tima (ku), destgirtî (ku)

• Latin: frūgālis, parcus
• Macedonian: штедлив m (štedliv)
• Norman: mênagi
• Norwegian: måteholden (no), frugal

  Bokmål: nøysom (no), sparsommelig

• Old English: spærhende
• Persian: صرفه‌جو (fa) (sarfe-ju), اقتصادی (fa) (eqtesâdi)
• Polish: oszczędny (pl) m
• Portuguese: frugal (pt)
• Punjabi: ਕਮਖਰਚ (kamkharac)
• Romanian: frugal (ro) m or n
• Russian: бережли́вый (ru) (berežlívyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: štedljiv (sh)
• Slovak: skromný, úsporný m, sporovlivý m
• Spanish: frugal (es), ahorrativo (es), económico (es), parsimonioso (es)
• Swedish: frugal (sv), sparsam (sv), återhållsam (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: tutumlu (tr)
• Ukrainian: бережли́вий (uk) (berežlývyj), оща́дливий (oščádlyvyj), заоща́дливий (zaoščádlyvyj), еконо́мний (uk) (ekonómnyj)
• Vietnamese: tằn tiện (vi)
• Welsh: cynnil (cy), darbodus

References

• “frugal”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “frugal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “frugal”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin frūgālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁy.ɡal/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

frugal (feminine frugale, masculine plural frugaux, feminine plural frugales)

1. frugal, austere

Derived terms

• frugalement
• frugalité

Further reading

• “frugal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Etymology

From Latin frūgālis.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡal/ [fɾuˈɣ̞ɑɫ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /fɾuˈɡal/ [fɾuˈɣ̞ɑɫ]
• IPA^(key): (gheada) /fɾuˈħal/ [fɾuˈħɑɫ]

• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: fru‧gal

Adjective

frugal m or f (plural frugais)

1. frugal, economical

Related terms

• frugalidade

Further reading

• “frugal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
• “frugal”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2025

German

Etymology

Borrowed from French frugal, from Latin frugalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [fʁuˈɡaːl]
• Hyphenation: fru‧gal

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

frugal (strong nominative masculine singular frugaler, comparative frugaler, superlative am frugalsten)

1. frugal

Declension

Positive forms of frugal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist frugal	sie ist frugal	es ist frugal	sie sind frugal
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frugaler	frugale	frugales	frugale
	genitive	frugalen	frugaler	frugalen	frugaler
	dative	frugalem	frugaler	frugalem	frugalen
	accusative	frugalen	frugale	frugales	frugale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frugale	die frugale	das frugale	die frugalen
	genitive	des frugalen	der frugalen	des frugalen	der frugalen
	dative	dem frugalen	der frugalen	dem frugalen	den frugalen
	accusative	den frugalen	die frugale	das frugale	die frugalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frugaler	eine frugale	ein frugales	(keine) frugalen
	genitive	eines frugalen	einer frugalen	eines frugalen	(keiner) frugalen
	dative	einem frugalen	einer frugalen	einem frugalen	(keinen) frugalen
	accusative	einen frugalen	eine frugale	ein frugales	(keine) frugalen

Comparative forms of frugal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist frugaler	sie ist frugaler	es ist frugaler	sie sind frugaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frugalerer	frugalere	frugaleres	frugalere
	genitive	frugaleren	frugalerer	frugaleren	frugalerer
	dative	frugalerem	frugalerer	frugalerem	frugaleren
	accusative	frugaleren	frugalere	frugaleres	frugalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frugalere	die frugalere	das frugalere	die frugaleren
	genitive	des frugaleren	der frugaleren	des frugaleren	der frugaleren
	dative	dem frugaleren	der frugaleren	dem frugaleren	den frugaleren
	accusative	den frugaleren	die frugalere	das frugalere	die frugaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frugalerer	eine frugalere	ein frugaleres	(keine) frugaleren
	genitive	eines frugaleren	einer frugaleren	eines frugaleren	(keiner) frugaleren
	dative	einem frugaleren	einer frugaleren	einem frugaleren	(keinen) frugaleren
	accusative	einen frugaleren	eine frugalere	ein frugaleres	(keine) frugaleren

Superlative forms of frugal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am frugalsten	sie ist am frugalsten	es ist am frugalsten	sie sind am frugalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	frugalster	frugalste	frugalstes	frugalste
	genitive	frugalsten	frugalster	frugalsten	frugalster
	dative	frugalstem	frugalster	frugalstem	frugalsten
	accusative	frugalsten	frugalste	frugalstes	frugalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der frugalste	die frugalste	das frugalste	die frugalsten
	genitive	des frugalsten	der frugalsten	des frugalsten	der frugalsten
	dative	dem frugalsten	der frugalsten	dem frugalsten	den frugalsten
	accusative	den frugalsten	die frugalste	das frugalste	die frugalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein frugalster	eine frugalste	ein frugalstes	(keine) frugalsten
	genitive	eines frugalsten	einer frugalsten	eines frugalsten	(keiner) frugalsten
	dative	einem frugalsten	einer frugalsten	einem frugalsten	(keinen) frugalsten
	accusative	einen frugalsten	eine frugalste	ein frugalstes	(keine) frugalsten

Further reading

• “frugal” in Duden online
• “frugal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin frūgālis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡaw/ [fɾuˈɡaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡal/ [fɾuˈɣaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡal/ [fɾuˈɣaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡa.li/ [fɾuˈɣa.li]

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: fru‧gal

Adjective

frugal m or f (plural frugais)

1. frugal, economical

Derived terms

• frugalmente

Related terms

• frugalidade

Romanian

Alternative forms

• фругал (frugal) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling

Etymology

Borrowed from French frugal, from Latin frugalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fruˈɡal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: fru‧gal

Adjective

frugal m or n (feminine singular frugală, masculine plural frugali, feminine/neuter plural frugale)

1. frugal

Declension

Declension of frugal

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	frugal		frugală		frugali	frugale
	definite	frugalul		frugala		frugalii	frugalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	frugal		frugale		frugali	frugale
	definite	frugalului		frugalei		frugalilor	frugalelor

Related terms

• frugalitate

Further reading

• “frugal”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin frūgālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɾuˈɡal/ [fɾuˈɣ̞al]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fru‧gal

Adjective

frugal m or f (masculine and feminine plural frugales)

1. frugal

   Synonym: parco

2. economical

   Synonym: económico

Related terms

• frugalidad

Further reading

• “frugal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024