cheapen
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make cheap or cheaper.
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to lower in esteem; bring into contempt.
Constant swearing cheapened him.
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to decrease the quality or beauty of; make inferior or vulgar.
She cheapened the dress by adding a fringe to it.
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Archaic. to bargain for.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make or become lower in reputation, quality, etc; degrade or be degraded
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to make or become cheap or cheaper
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has cheapenedperfect 3rd person singular
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have cheapenedperfect
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is cheapeningprogressive 3rd person singular
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am cheapeningprogressive 1st person singular
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have been cheapeningperfect progressive
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cheapeningparticiple
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cheapenssingular 3rd person
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are cheapeningprogressive
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has been cheapeningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had cheapenedperfect
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was cheapeningprogressive singular
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had been cheapeningperfect progressive
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cheapenedsimple
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were cheapeningprogressive plural
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cheapenedparticiple
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both seasons of the show demonstrate that only the wealthy can afford to indulge in extreme emotional displays or cheapen honest ones.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 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
Some customers on social media fretted that Anta, a mass-market brand, might cheapen the reputation of Arc’teryx.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
Would the public spectacle cheapen my private affection for it?
From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2024
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
