cheapen

cheap·en

verb \ˈchē-pən\

cheap·enedcheap·en·ing \ˈchēp-niŋ, ˈchē-pə-\

Definition of CHEAPEN

transitive verb

1

[obsolete English cheap to price, bid for] archaic

a : to ask the price of

b : to bid or bargain for

2

a : to make cheap in price or value

b : to lower in general esteem

c : to make tawdry, vulgar, or inferior

intransitive verb

: to become cheap

Examples of CHEAPEN

1. products cheapened by sloppy workmanship
2. Using the national flag in advertising only cheapens it.
3. Poor marketing can cheapen a brand name.
4. I thought that the show cheapened the lives of the people it portrayed.
5. The wedding ceremony was cheapened by the best man's tasteless jokes.

First Known Use of CHEAPEN

1562

Related to CHEAPEN

Synonyms

attenuate, break, depreciate, depress, devaluate, devalue, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write off

Antonyms

appreciate, enhance, mark up, upgrade

Related Words

debase, demonetize; underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue; abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrink

Near Antonyms

bloat, blow up, inflate; overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, up

Rhymes with CHEAPEN

deepen, steepen