cheapen

[ chee-puh n ]

/ ˈtʃi pən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cheapen ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make cheap or cheaper.

to lower in esteem; bring into contempt: Constant swearing cheapened him.

to decrease the quality or beauty of; make inferior or vulgar: She cheapened the dress by adding a fringe to it.

Archaic. to bargain for.

verb (used without object)

to become cheap or cheaper.

Nearby words

Origin of cheapen

1555–65; cheap + -en¹; replacing Middle English chepen (> obsolete English cheap (v.)) to price, bargain, Old English cēapian to bargain, trade, buy; cognate with Old Norse kaupa, Gothic kaupōn, German kaufen

Related formscheap·en·er, nounun·cheap·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cheapen

In 2012, the “Israel-right-or-wrong” crowd continued to cheapen the very serious issue of anti-Semitism.
Top Ten Issues The ADL Ignored|Lara Friedman|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The first are books that bring added value to the popular, the second cheapen the whole proposition of publishing.
The $5 Million Ghost Story|Celia McGee|October 3, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She was pushed by a bad desire to force from him a more complete self-revelation, to cheapen him in some way and break him up.
The Far Horizon|Lucas Malet
He loved with single heart and refused to cheapen himself or his love.
White Fang|Jack London

All incentives to cheapen goods, or to adulterate food products, would vanish.
Solaris Farm|Milan C. Edson
It was he left us the cheap tea; to cheapen it he did, that was at that time a shilling for one bare ounce.
The Kiltartan History Book|Lady I. A. Gregory
I learned such things then, and they cheapen what I have since learned.
Martin Eden|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for cheapen

cheapen

/ (ˈtʃiːpən) /

verb

to make or become lower in reputation, quality, etc; degrade or be degraded

to make or become cheap or cheaper

Derived Formscheapener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cheapen

cheapen

1570s, "ask the price of," from cheap (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "lower the price of" is from 1833, but figuratively, "to lower in estimation" is from 1650s. Related: Cheapened; cheapening.