cheapen

American  

[chee-puhn] / ˈtʃi pən /

verb (used with object)

1. to make cheap or cheaper.

2. to lower in esteem; bring into contempt.

   Constant swearing cheapened him.

3. to decrease the quality or beauty of; make inferior or vulgar.

   She cheapened the dress by adding a fringe to it.

4. Archaic. to bargain for.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become cheap or cheaper.

cheapen British  

/ ˈtʃiːpən /

verb

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

2. to make or become cheap or cheaper

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Other Word Forms

• cheapener noun
• uncheapened adjective

Etymology

Origin of cheapen

1555–65; cheap + -en ¹; 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

Example Sentences

That didn’t bother the Heat, nor did it cheapen the achievement for Adebayo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The Japanese government doesn’t want its currency to cheapen dramatically; that makes it more expensive for Japanese citizens to buy what they need.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

For some Snoopy enthusiasts, the high volume of Snoopy products borders on oversaturation, threatening to cheapen the spirit of the character.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

But the bad vibes of “Artificial Angels” persist, not just because the name does what it can to cheapen Grimes’ 2015 masterwork “Art Angels,” which sees its tenth anniversary hit this very month.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

Finally he spoke the three simple words that no amount of bad art or bad faith can ever quite cheapen.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• debase
• degrade
• demean
• denigrate
• disparage
• mar
• minimize