differences - "Economic" vs. "economical"


What is the difference between "economic" and "economical"?



Answer



Economic and economical can only be synonyms in two senses.



  1. Things relating to the economy. eg. You could speak of economical growth, although economic growth is more common.

  2. Using the minimum amount of effort or resources. eg. You could speak of someone making economical use of their time. Economic would also work in that context.


Otherwise, when you're talking about wealth, financial rewards, or the science of economics, it's always economic. If you mean the sense of thrifty or frugal you would use economical.


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