किफ़ायत (kifaayat)

noun A noun meaning thrift or economy in the sense of careful, non-wasteful use of money or resources; also appears in the common adjectival phrase किफ़ायत से (kifaayat se) meaning 'economically/sparingly.'
Sense 1 : thrift, economy, frugality
noun, feminine Most often used with से (se) as an adverbial phrase, किफ़ायत से (kifaayat se, 'economically, sparingly'), describing how something is done rather than as a bare object.
Synonyms: बचत (bachat), कंजूसी (kanjoosii, negative connotation, stinginess), संकोच (sankoch, rare in this sense)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this word in everyday household contexts -- a mother telling her kids to use ghee किफ़ायत से (kifaayat se, 'sparingly') or a shopkeeper praising a customer's किफ़ायत (kifaayat) with money. It carries a respectable, almost virtuous tone, unlike the mildly negative कंजूसी (kanjoosii).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse किफ़ायत (kifaayat) with कंजूसी (kanjoosii); किफ़ायत (kifaayat) has a positive, sensible-saving connotation, while कंजूसी (kanjoosii) implies stinginess or being miserly. 2) The common phrase is किफ़ायत करना (kifaayat karnaa, 'to economize, to be thrifty'), not किफ़ायत होना (kifaayat honaa).
Sample Sentences:
मेरी दादी हमेशा किफ़ायत से पैसे ख़र्च करती हैं। My grandmother always spends money thriftily.
(merii daadii hameshaa kifaayat se paise kharch kartii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
घी किफ़ायत से इस्तेमाल करो, पूरे महीने का राशन है। Use the ghee sparingly, it has to last the whole month.
(ghii kifaayat se istemaal karo, poore mahiine kaa raashan hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
दुकानदार ने उसकी किफ़ायत की बहुत तारीफ़ की। The shopkeeper praised his thrift a lot.
(dukaandaar ne uskii kifaayat kii bahut taariif kii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम थोड़ी किफ़ायत बरतते, तो इस महीने पैसे बचे रहते। If you had exercised a bit of economy, you would have had money left this month.
(agar tum thodii kifaayat baratte, to is mahiine paise bache rahte।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
बिजली के इस्तेमाल में किफ़ायत बरती जानी चाहिए। Economy should be exercised in the use of electricity.
(bijlii ke istemaal men kifaayat bartii jaanii chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
काश मैं भी उनकी तरह किफ़ायत से रहना सीख पाता। I wish I could also learn to live thriftily like them.
(kaash main bhii unkii tarah kifaayat se rahnaa siikh paataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
सरकार ने ऊर्जा में किफ़ायत बढ़ाने के लिए नई योजना शुरू की है। The government has launched a new scheme to increase economy in energy use.
(sarkaar ne oorjaa men kifaayat badhaane ke lie naii yojnaa shuroo kii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह हर चीज़ में किफ़ायत से काम लेता है। He handles everything with economy.
(vah har chiiz men kifaayat se kaam letaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
किफ़ायत से चलने वाला ही मुश्किल वक़्त में टिक पाता है। Only the one who lives economically manages to survive hard times.
(kifaayat se chalne vaalaa hii mushkil vaqt men tik paataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
आने वाले महीनों में हमें और किफ़ायत बरतनी होगी। In the coming months we will have to practice even more economy.
(aane vaale mahiinon men hamen aur kifaayat baratnii hogii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): किफ़ायत (kifaayat)
(sg.f.oblique): किफ़ायत (kifaayat)
(pl.f.direct): किफ़ायतें (kifaayten)
(pl.f.oblique): किफ़ायतों (kifaayton)