Word forms: comparative thriftier, superlative thriftiest
adjective
If you say that someone is thrifty, you are praising them for saving money, not buying unnecessary things, and not wasting things.
[approval]
My mother taught me to be thrifty.
...thrifty shoppers.
Synonyms: economical, prudent, provident, frugal More Synonyms of thrifty
thrifty in British English
(ˈθrɪftɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: thriftier or thriftiest
1.
showing thrift; economical or frugal
2. rare
thriving or prospering
Derived forms
thriftily (ˈthriftily)
adverb
thriftiness (ˈthriftiness)
noun
thrifty in American English
(ˈθrɪfti)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈthriftier or ˈthriftiest
1.
practicing or showing thrift; economical; provident
2.
thriving; flourishing; prospering
3.
growing vigorously, as a plant
SYNONYMY NOTE: thrifty implies industry and clever management of one's money or resources, usually so asto result in some savings [the thrifty housewife watched for sales]; frugal stresses the idea of saving and suggests spending which excludes any luxury or lavishnessand provides only the simplest fare, dress, etc. [the Amish are a frugal people]; sparing implies such restraint in spending as restricts itself to the bare minimum or involvesdeprivation [sparing to the point of niggardliness]; economical implies prudent management of one's money or resources so as to avoid any waste inexpenditure or use [it is often economical to buy in large quantities]; provident implies management with the foresight to provide for future needs [never provident, he quickly spent his inheritance]
OPPOSITES: lavish, prodigal, wasteful
Derived forms
thriftily (ˈthriftily)
adverb
thriftiness (ˈthriftiness)
noun
Examples of 'thrifty' in a sentence
thrifty
My dad had a thrifty approach to holidays.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His top thrifty tips include buying seasonal food in abundance when it is at its cheapest and freshest and freezing any excess.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This all fits the new thrifty, green vibe that is in the air.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Now a thrifty shopper reports a sighting of those very same memoirs at Poundland.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This humdrum tool of grandmother's thrifty cooking is resurrected with an amazing amount of glamour.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Despite being a famously fastidious dresser, the Prince has long had a thrifty approach to his wardrobe.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
To pay to get the harmful gas underground, you have to burn about one quarter more fuel, hardly a thrifty approach.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In part, this has been due to thrifty continental consumers taking advantage of the weak pound to seek online bargains from British retailers.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
thrifty
British English: thrifty /ˈθrɪftɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If you say that someone is thrifty, you are praising them for saving money, not buying unnecessary things, and not wasting things.
My mother taught me to be thrifty.
American English: thrifty
Arabic: مُقْتَصِد
Brazilian Portuguese: econômico
Chinese: 节约的
Croatian: štedljiv
Czech: šetrný
Danish: sparsommelig
Dutch: zuinig
European Spanish: ahorrativo
Finnish: säästäväinen
French: économe
German: sparsam
Greek: σφιχτοχέρης
Italian: parsimonioso
Japanese: 倹約な
Korean: 검소한
Norwegian: sparsommelig
Polish: oszczędny
European Portuguese: poupado
Romanian: econom
Russian: бережливый
Latin American Spanish: ahorrativo
Swedish: sparsam
Thai: ตระหนี่
Turkish: tutumlu
Ukrainian: бережливий
Vietnamese: tiết kiệm
Chinese translation of 'thrifty'
thrifty
(ˈθrɪftɪ)
adj
[person]节(節)俭(儉)的 (jiéjiǎn de)
(adjective)
Definition
not wasteful with money
My mother taught me to be thrifty.
Synonyms
economical
As taxpayers we should be able to assume that the government is economical with our money.
prudent
In private, she is prudent and even frugal.
provident
He brought them up to be careful, provident and hard-working.
frugal
She lives a frugal life.
saving
sparing
I've not been sparing with the garlic.
careful
Train your children to be careful with their pocket-money.
parsimonious
the stereotype of the dour and parsimonious Scotsman
Opposites
extravagant
,
wasteful
,
prodigal
,
spendthrift
,
free-spending
,
improvident
Additional synonyms
in the sense of careful
Train your children to be careful with their pocket-money.
Synonyms
prudent,
sparing,
economical,
canny,
provident,
frugal,
thrifty
in the sense of frugal
Definition
economical in the use of money or resources
She lives a frugal life.
Synonyms
thrifty,
sparing,
careful,
prudent,
provident,
parsimonious,
abstemious,
penny-wise,
saving,
cheeseparing
in the sense of parsimonious
the stereotype of the dour and parsimonious Scotsman
Synonyms
tight,
mean,
stingy,
penny-pinching (informal),
miserly,
near (informal),
saving,
sparing,
grasping,
miserable,
stinting,
frugal,
niggardly,
penurious,
tightfisted,
close-fisted,
tight-arse (taboo, slang),
mingy (British, informal),
tight-ass (US, taboo, slang),
tight-assed (US, taboo, slang),
cheeseparing,
scrimpy,
skinflinty,
snoep (South Africa, informal),
tight as a duck's arse (taboo, slang)
Nearby words of
thrifty
threshold
thrift
thriftless
thrifty
thrill
thrilled
thrilling
Synonyms of 'thrifty'
thrifty
Explore 'thrifty' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of provident
Definition
showing foresight
He brought them up to be careful, provident and hard-working.