Economical

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Economic \E`co*nom"ic\ (?; 277), Economical \E`co*nom"ic*al\, a.
     [F. ['e]conomique, L. oeconomicus orderly, methodical, Gr. ?
     economical. See {Economy}.]
     1. Pertaining to the household; domestic. "In this economical
        misfortune [of ill-assorted matrimony.]" --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Relating to domestic economy, or to the management of
        household affairs.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              And doth employ her economic art
              And busy care, her household to preserve. --Sir J.
                                                    Davies.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Managing with frugality; guarding against waste or
        unnecessary expense; careful and frugal in management and
        in expenditure; -- said of character or habits.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Just rich enough, with economic care,
              To save a pittance.                   --Harte.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Managed with frugality; not marked with waste or
        extravagance; using the minimum of time or effort or
        resources required for effectiveness; frugal; -- said of
        acts; saving; as, an economical use of money or of time;
        an economic use of home heating oil. [WordNet sense 3]
        [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
  
     5. of or pertaining to the national or regional economy;
        relating to political economy; relating to the means of
        living, or the resources and wealth of a country; relating
        to the production or consumption of goods and services of
        a nation or region; as, economic growth; economic
        purposes; economical truths; an economic downturn.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              These matters economical and political. --J. C.
                                                    Shairp.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              There was no economical distress in England to
              prompt the enterprises of colonization. --Palfrey.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Economic questions, such as money, usury, taxes,
              lands, and the employment of the people. --H. C.
                                                    Baird.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. Regulative; relating to the adaptation of means to an end.
        --Grew.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. of or pertaining to economics. economic theory
        [WordNet 1.5]
  
     8. profitable. Opposite of {uneconomic}. [WordNet sense 4]
        [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
  
     9. avoiding waste; as, an economical meal. Opposite of
        {wasteful}.
  
     Syn: frugal, scotch, sparing, stinting, thrifty.
          [WordNet 1.5]
  
     Note: Economical is the usual form when meaning frugal,
           saving; economic is the form commonly used when meaning
           pertaining to the management of a household, or of
           public affairs.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  economical
       adj 1: using the minimum of time or resources necessary for
              effectiveness; "an economic use of home heating oil";
              "a modern economical heating system"; "an economical
              use of her time" [syn: {economic}]
       2: of or relating to an economy, the system of production and
          management of material wealth; "economic growth"; "aspects
          of social, political, and economical life" [syn: {economic}]
       3: avoiding waste; "an economical meal"; "an economical
          shopper"; "a frugal farmer"; "a frugal lunch"; "a sparing
          father and a spending son"; "sparing in their use of heat
          and light"; "stinting in bestowing gifts"; "thrifty
          because they remember the great Depression"; "`scotch' is
          used only informally" [syn: {frugal}, {scotch}, {sparing},
           {stinting}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  56 Moby Thesaurus words for "economical":
     Scotch, budget, canny, careful, chary, cheap, cheeseparing, close,
     conservative, conserving, easy, economic, economizing, economy,
     forehanded, frugal, inexpensive, labor-saving, low, low-priced,
     manageable, mean, miserly, moderate, modest, money-saving,
     niggardly, nominal, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penny-wise,
     penurious, politico-economic, provident, prudent, prudential,
     reasonable, saving, scrimping, sensible, shabby, shoddy, skimping,
     socio-economic, spare, sparing, stingy, thrifty, tight,
     tight-fisted, time-saving, token, unexpensive, unwasteful,
     within means, worth the money