cheapen

[ chee-puhn ]

/ ˈtʃi pən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: cheapen / cheapened / cheapening 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cheapen

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

Words nearby cheapen

chazerei, Ch.B., Ch.E., cheap, cheap at twice the price, cheapen, cheapie, cheap-jack, cheapo, cheap out, cheap shot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cheapen in a sentence

Turning a marvelous, ambiguous shot into a guessing game cheapens the shot.
Let Succession be ambiguous|Emily VanDerWerff|December 7, 2021|Vox
Luckily, there are several fantastic options out there for an inexpensive pair that doesn’t cheapen the listening experience.
The best budget headphones: Cutting cost doesn’t have to mean ditching features|Billy Cadden|June 29, 2021|Popular-Science
Plus, says Clayton, putting in an Ethernet-wired mesh system can increase your home’s value by 10 to 15 percent—not to mention cheapen the cost of other projects down the line, like security camera systems.
Ethernet and a mesh network will permanently solve your WiFi issues|Whitson Gordon|October 16, 2020|Popular-Science
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

Does complaining about political rhetoric cheapen the deaths, or does it give them added meaning?
January 9: 7 Best Moments From Sunday Talk|The Daily Beast Video|January 9, 2011|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
We came not to any agreement, but did cheapen several parcels, and thence away, promising to send again to them.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
No, sir; 'tisn' the rule, an' us can't begin to cheapen the fee wi' a man o' your inches.
Wandering Heath|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
"Girls, you cheapen yourselves by lack of purpose in life," says Rena L. Miner.
How to Succeed|Orison Swett Marden
Good tools facilitate and cheapen cultivation, and increase the yield of crops, Money paid out for such tools is well expended.
Soil Culture|J. H. Walden
He wished to cheapen everything as his own produce had been cheapened.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 69, No. 423, January 1851|Various

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 forms of cheapen

cheapener, 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

cheapen

Origin of cheapen

OTHER WORDS FROM cheapen

Words nearby cheapen

Words related to cheapen

How to use cheapen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cheapen

Derived forms of cheapen