economic vs economical

[Sultano]

Hi!
could any body shed some light on the difference between economic & economical?

[Alan]

Hi,

'Economic' refers to the economy - the financial running of a state or country as in: The rising cost of oil has had a severe effect on the economic situation in many countries. 'Economical' suggests operating at a good price as in: More and more drivers are looking for cars that will be more economical to run and do more miles per gallon.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Not Really

[Mister Micawber]

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'Economic' is the adjectival form of 'economy'; 'economical' means 'cheap, efficient'. Your dictionary should tell you in more detail.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Molly]

'economical' means 'cheap, efficient'.

So what's the difference here?

He bought the economical model/economic model.