Revised as of
12 Nov 2022
Exploring the difference between economic and economical seemed practical with the turnover in presidents. Each new president comes into office with their own ideas of what’s good economics. President Biden is also incorporating at least one economical concept: moving the federal fleet of vehicles to electronic ones.
You may argue that this move isn’t necessarily thrifty, and you’d be right for the actual turnover. But in terms of climate change and long-term economics, it’s a very economical idea.
So, what is the difference, you ask? Well, economic is all about the careful management of available resources. Consider the state of Texas after that last snowstorm. Their great desire to be independent of the federal government turned out to be bad economics for Texans.
Economical, to be blunt, is about being cheap and/or avoiding waste.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Economic | Economical |
|---|---|
Economic Sectors and Income by Rcragun is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Put It in the Piggy Bank by USA-Reiseblogger is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — He’s being economical. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
Relating to the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and commodities
Of or relating to the science of economics Justified in terms of profitability
Pertaining to an economy, or system of organization or operation, especially of the process of production Involving or pertaining to one’s personal resources of money Pertaining to use as a resource in the economy Affecting or apt to affect the welfare of material resources |
Giving good value or service in relation to the amount of money, time, or effort spent
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| Examples: | |
| The government’s economic policy will see us in horrific debt.
They are pest species of great economic importance. Just look at our past economic history to see the truth. Many organizations must become larger if they are to remain economic. Solar power may provide a more economic solution. We had to give up our large house for economic reasons. Economic entomology studies the bugs that benefit or harm humans, domestic animals, and crops. Economic botany explores the ways humans use plants for food, medicines, and commerce. |
It was a small, economical car.
He was economical in all areas of life, the cheapskate. This chassis is economical in metal and therefore light in weight. He was economical with the truth, sigh. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: antieconomic, econometric, economy, noneconomic, preeconomic, quasi-economic Adverb: economically Noun: economics, economy |
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| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English, via the Old French and the Latin from the Greek oikonomikos, from oikonomia (see economy).
Originally a noun, the word denoted household management or a person skilled in this, hence the early sense of the adjective (late 16th century) relating to household management. The modern senses date from the mid-19th century. |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Economic versus Economical
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: economic
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Damage From Hurricane Rita, 27 Jan 2006, has no known copyright, via the US National Archives.
