noun / adjective
economy
Careful avoidance of wasted resources.
The chef practices economy by using every part of each vegetable.
Etymology
Greek oikonomia meant household management. The sense of thrift focuses on one aspect of good management: using available resources carefully and avoiding waste.
More examples
- Small economies in daily spending help us save for emergencies.
- She explains the process with an impressive economy of words.
- We choose the economy plan because it costs less.
Forms
economy · economies
economize verb — Use money or other resources carefully.
economical adjective — Using money, time, or resources without waste.
Similar words
- thrift
- Emphasizes careful spending and saving rather than conserving effort.
- frugality
- Focuses on spending little and avoiding unnecessary purchases.
- efficiency
- Emphasizes achieving results with minimal wasted time or effort.