# economical

Pronunciation: US say "ek-uh-NOM-i-kul" /ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪkəl/; UK say "ee-kuh-NOM-i-kul" /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪkəl/

## Adjective

1. Saving money or other resources by costing or using less than would otherwise be needed.
   - Simple: Using less money, fuel, or other things, so that nothing is wasted.
   - _Buying in bulk is more economical than picking up small packages every week._
   - _An economical heating system pays for itself within a few winters._
2. Careful and sensible with money so as not to spend too much.
   - Simple: Careful with money and not spending more than you need to.
   - _My grandmother was economical by habit and never threw away a usable jar._
   - _An economical shopper compares prices before putting anything in the cart._
3. Of a bowler or a spell of bowling in cricket, having a low economy rate, so that few runs are given away.
   - Simple: Of a bowler in cricket, letting the other team score only a few runs.
   - _The spinner was economical all afternoon, conceding just 18 runs from his ten overs._
   - _It was the most economical spell of his career: four overs for only nine runs._

## Adjective

4. Relating to economy in senses other than saving, such as a nation's economy or the science of economics. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Having to do with the economy or with the study of economics.
   - _The report traced the economical development of the colony over fifty years._
   - _Nineteenth-century writers argued at length about the economical value of free trade._

## Origin

Formed from economic + the suffix -al.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/economical (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).