economy
noun · adjective · adverb
Simple meaning
Frugality in the expenditure of money or resources.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihkahnuhmeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈkɑnəmi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Frugality in the expenditure of money or resources
“The Scots are famous for their economy.”
The study of money, currency and trade, and the efficient use of resources.
The system of production and distribution and consumption. The overall measure of a currency system; as the national economy.
Frugal use of resources.
us
The part of a commercial passenger airplane or train reserved for those paying the lower standard fares; economy class.
Effective management of a community or system, or especially its resources.
adjective
Cheap to run; using minimal resources; representing good value for money; economical.
adverb
us
In or via the part of a commercial passenger airplane reserved for those paying the lower standard fares.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Frugality in the expenditure of money or resources
Used this way, economy is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
“The Scots are famous for their economy.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Economical and restrained
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use economy
- “It was a small economy to walk to work every day.”noun
- “The Scots are famous for their economy.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An expert in the science of economics.
Of or relating to an economy, the system of production and management of material wealth.
Of or relating to an economy, the system of production and management of material wealth.
With respect to economic science.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A class of accommodations on a ship or train or plane that are less expensive than first class accommodations.
The saving in cost of production that is due to mass production.
An economic system based on private ownership of capital.
The managed economy of a communist state.
An economy that relies chiefly on market forces to allocate goods and resources and to determine prices.
A non-market economy in which government intervention is important in allocating goods and resources and determining prices.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Steady growth in the productive capacity of the economy (and so a growth of national income).
Mobilization of the economy.
Mobilization of the economy.
The condition of the economy.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: frugality in the expenditure of money or resources
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “economy” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.