FRUGAL definition: 1. careful when using money or food, or (of a meal) cheap or small in amount: 2. careful when…. Learn more.

Jan 18, 2026 · frugal (comparative more frugal, superlative most frugal) Of something which is consumed (such as money, goods, etc.): Careful or wise in expenditure; avoiding waste.

Frugal is generally a good, positive word to describe someone who is careful with his or her money, although it can sometimes be used negatively to describe a "penny-pincher." Frugality is the related …

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A frugal meal is small and not expensive. The diet was frugal: cheese and water, rice and beans.

Definition of frugal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

FRUGAL definition: economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful. See examples of frugal used in a sentence.

A person who lives simply and economically can be called frugal. Buying clothes at a consignment shop would be considered frugal. Not getting your mom a gift for her birthday — that's just cheap.

Frugal definition: Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources.

Today, frugal is used to describe things that reflect a fastidious dedication to foregoing the fancy, as in “he insists on a frugal diet of fungi and fava beans.”

Frugal definition: Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources.

Today, frugal is used to describe things that reflect a fastidious dedication to foregoing the fancy, as in “he insists on a frugal diet of fungi and fava beans.”

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