1
as in cheap
costing little
throughout the trip we ate at bargain-basement restaurants in order to save money
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2
as in inferior
of low quality
bargain-basement shoes that fell apart after a week
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Recent Examples of bargain-basement
Where both wanted their touches on the club, neither decided that going bargain-basement shopping was the best route to do business.
—
Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Owned by Robert Lehmann and his wife, Verna; trained by Don Combs; and ridden by Mike Manganello, the son of Bold Commander and the broodmare Dust Storm was a bargain-basement $6,500 acquisition at the September 1968 Keeneland yearling sale.
—Neil Milbert, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Perhaps owners harbor some wishful thinking about bargain-basement rates.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
Soon, the proud agricultural families are forced to migrate and sell their land at bargain-basement prices.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
These were more like bargain-basement metal plates that filled a portion of his mouth.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Not too long ago, Western markets were subtly dismissing Chinese cars for coming off as bargain-basement alternatives.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
Instead, first Anna and Tess and then Harper and Lily land at the table of bargain-basement psychic Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer, working hard for little dividend), who surprises even herself by intuiting that the older Colemans’ lifelines have intersected before.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Analysts suggest a model starting around US $25,000, to compete against Volkswagen’s own bargain-basement EV.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 June 2023
Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Owned by Robert Lehmann and his wife, Verna; trained by Don Combs; and ridden by Mike Manganello, the son of Bold Commander and the broodmare Dust Storm was a bargain-basement $6,500 acquisition at the September 1968 Keeneland yearling sale.
—Neil Milbert, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Perhaps owners harbor some wishful thinking about bargain-basement rates.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
Soon, the proud agricultural families are forced to migrate and sell their land at bargain-basement prices.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
These were more like bargain-basement metal plates that filled a portion of his mouth.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Not too long ago, Western markets were subtly dismissing Chinese cars for coming off as bargain-basement alternatives.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
Instead, first Anna and Tess and then Harper and Lily land at the table of bargain-basement psychic Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer, working hard for little dividend), who surprises even herself by intuiting that the older Colemans’ lifelines have intersected before.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Analysts suggest a model starting around US $25,000, to compete against Volkswagen’s own bargain-basement EV.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bargain-basement
Adjective
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Strained by tighter budgets and product price increases, more shoppers are willing to ditch their favorite brand for a cheaper alternative, a new study finds.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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The simpler, cheaper, more snow-friendly autonomous driving hardware is welcome, too.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Learning how to be the favorite, who plays under the pressure of expectation, instead of how to be the underdog, who plays with the freedom of the unexpected, can make plenty of players vulnerable against an inferior foe at the business end of a tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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This has encouraged debates on the extent to which metajournalism is different from—or even inferior to—existing practices of journalism.—
Steve Paulussen,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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That would be impossible to spend in any reasonable manner in one lifetime.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
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Nobody reasonable wants Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or the sport’s other biggest stars treated like anonymous qualifiers.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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There are also relatively inexpensive things certain homeowners can do, like install moisture sensors that can help to more quickly identify leaks, Bach said.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
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The list also includes some relatively inexpensive repair jobs, including four pedestrian bridges in Presidio Park that could each be repaired for about $10,000 or less.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Historically, South America has proven irresistible to certain inhabitants of the northern hemisphere eager to escape the consequences of their terrible actions.—
David Futrelle,
Washington Post,
4 June 2026
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In retrospect, the Supreme Court decision that opened the widespread legalization of sports betting was a terrible, terrible mistake.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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The affordable passenger train travels between all five mountainous villages in Italy’s Cinque Terre region, running from spring until late fall.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 June 2026
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In that spirit, here are five smaller, more affordable summer music festivals on the Front Range that offer an alternative to big events — and possibly the most bang for your buck.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Especially defensively, where the Sparks had seemingly been getting worse.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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The festival begins next week for the World Cup, but part of Poplar Drive is already closed, and some neighbors say the closure is making traffic in the area even worse.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bargain-basement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bargain-basement. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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