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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Economic \E'co*nom"ic\ (?; 277), Economical \E'co*nom"ic*al\, adjective [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.
2. Relating to domestic economy, or to the management of household affairs.
And doth employ her economic art And busy care, her household to preserve. --Sir J. Davies.
3. Managing with frugality; guarding against waste or unnecessary expense; careful and frugal in management and in expenditure; -- said of character or habits.
Just rich enough, with economic care, To save a pittance. --Harte.
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.
These matters economical and political. --J. C. Shairp.
There was no economical distress in England to prompt the enterprises of colonization. --Palfrey.
Economic questions, such as money, usury, taxes, lands, and the employment of the people. --H. C. Baird.
6. Regulative; relating to the adaptation of means to an end. --Grew.
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.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
economical
adjective
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
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