economically

economically — adverb

1. doing something with as little waste of money, time, or materials as possible, w

1.adverbB2
Definition

doing something with as little waste of money, time, or materials as possible, while still achieving the desired outcome.

Example

Niran's grandmother taught him to shop economically by buying only items on sale.

verb + economically: shop / live / run economically

The new heating system runs more economically than the old one, halving the fuel bill.

Common collocations
  • live economically
  • shop economically
  • run economically
  • use something economically
  • feed a family economically
Synonyms
  • thriftily

    more narrowly focused on money-saving, less common

  • frugally

    emphasises simplicity and avoiding luxury; slightly more formal

  • efficiently

    broader — can refer to time, energy, or method, not only cost

  • sparingly

    suggests using very small amounts, sometimes too little

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + economically

Usage Note

Often modifies verbs related to spending, using resources, or managing time. Do not confuse with economically (sense 2), which relates to a country's financial system rather than personal or household thrift.

Common Mistakes

The new engine runs very economic.
The new engine runs very economically.
'economic' is an adjective about the economy of a country; 'economical' means thrifty, and its adverb form is 'economically'.

2. concerning the production, trade, and financial systems of a country, region, or

2.adverbB1
Definition

concerning the production, trade, and financial systems of a country, region, or society — for example, describing whether a nation is growing, struggling, or stable in terms of its overall wealth.

Example

Thailand's central plains are more economically developed than the northeastern Isan region.

adverb + adjective: economically developed / stable / active

Small businesses struggled economically during the months when consumer spending dropped sharply.

Common collocations
  • economically developed
  • economically stable
  • economically active
  • economically disadvantaged
  • economically viable
  • economically dependent
Synonyms
  • financially

    more specific to money and funding; 'financially stable' focuses on monetary reserves, while 'economically stable' is broader

  • fiscally

    relates specifically to government taxation and spending; narrower and more formal

  • commercially

    focuses on trade and business activity rather than the whole economic system

Grammar Patterns

economically + adjective

economically + adverb

economically, + clause

Usage Note

Common in news reports, academic writing, and policy discussions. Frequently modifies adjectives such as developed, stable, viable, disadvantaged, or active. Can also appear as a sentence adverb at the start of a clause: 'Economically, the policy made little sense.'

Common Mistakes

The country is growing very economical.
The country is growing very economically.
'economical' means thrifty (sense 1) and cannot describe a nation's overall financial health.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

All four words relate to money and systems, but they operate at different levels. Economically (sense 2) is the broadest — it covers the entire production, trade, and wealth system of a country or region. Financially narrows the focus to money itself: cash flow, capital, investments, and funding. Fiscally is the most specific, referring only to government revenue and spending through taxation and budgets. Commercially sits between financial and economic, concentrating on business transactions and market activity. For example: a country may be economically strong (high overall output) but fiscally weak (large budget deficit); a company can be financially healthy (good cash reserves) but commercially struggling (falling sales in a competitive market).

economically ↗financially ↗fiscallycommercially

Common collocations

Nouns

  • economically developed region
  • economically stable country
  • economically active population
  • economically disadvantaged group
  • economically viable project

Adverbs

  • very economically
  • quite economically
  • more economically
  • most economically

Phrases

  • economically speaking
  • both economically and socially
  • economically and politically

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Derived from the adjective 'economic' or 'economical', which came via Latin 'oeconomicus' from Greek 'oikonomikos' (relating to household management), from 'oikonomos' (household manager). The '-ally' suffix turned it into an adverb. The two broad meanings — thrifty versus relating to the whole economy — diverged in English by the early 19th century, following the rise of economics as a formal field of study.