Synonyms of cheap

cheap

adjective

ˈchēp 

1

as in inexpensive

costing little

e-mail is so popular because it's a cheap way to send messages

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inexpensive
• affordable
• reasonable
• popular
• low
• low-end
• cheapie
• chintzy
• budget
• dirt cheap
• cheapo
• dime-store
• discounted
• discount
• cut-price
• worthless
• cut-rate
• reduced
• bargain-basement
• wholesale
• el cheapo
• cheapish
• moderate
• lowered
• valueless
• supercheap
• fire-sale
• ultracheap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expensive
• valuable
• high
• costly
• pricey
• precious
• premium
• dear
• deluxe
• inflated
• spendy
• exorbitant
• unreasonable
• extravagant
• increased
• prohibitive
• steep
• high-ticket
• stiff
• invaluable
• overpriced
• priceless
• luxurious
• superexpensive
• prohibitory
• ultraexpensive

2

as in terrible

of low quality

a cheap sweater that started to unravel almost as soon as I bought it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrible
• poor
• inferior
• bad
• rotten
• coarse
• common
• worthless
• useless
• shoddy
• mediocre
• crappy
• low-grade
• wretched
• rubbishy
• low-rent
• cheesy
• trashy
• bum
• junky
• miserable
• second-rate
• lousy
• counterfeit
• fake
• sleazy
• execrable
• cut-rate
• cheapjack
• gimcrack
• bargain-basement
• trumpery
• schlock
• valueless
• el cheapo
• tawdry
• gaudy
• flashy
• lackluster
• showy
• kitschy
• meretricious
• garish
• shabby
• indifferent
• second-class
• glitzy
• tacky
• ostentatious
• kitsch
• swank
• splashy
• seedy
• supercheap
• phony
• sham
• ultracheap
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good
• excellent
• superior
• fine
• first-class
• high-grade
• elegant
• handsome
• first-rate
• tasteful
• top-notch
• polished
• refined
• handcrafted

3

as in stingy

giving or sharing as little as possible

a cheap coworker who never contributes to the collections taken up in the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stingy
• selfish
• tight
• chintzy
• greedy
• economical
• miserly
• parsimonious
• ungenerous
• careful
• close
• tightfisted
• mean
• spare
• penurious
• pinching
• desirous
• small
• penny-pinching
• mingy
• sparing
• uncharitable
• conserving
• thrifty
• pinchpenny
• closefisted
• frugal
• stinting
• saving
• shabby
• mercenary
• hoggish
• economizing
• avaricious
• acquisitive
• sordid
• chary
• covetous
• skimping
• itchy
• rapacious
• avid
• grudging
• envious
• grasping
• inhospitable
• resentful
• scrimping
• begrudging
• coveting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generous
• liberal
• charitable
• free
• bountiful
• munificent
• bounteous
• extravagant
• openhanded
• unselfish
• altruistic
• unsparing
• lavish
• handsome
• unstinting
• selfless
• overgenerous
• hospitable
• profuse
• benevolent
• beneficent
• freehanded
• philanthropic
• humanitarian
• magnanimous
• compassionate
• kindly
• wasteful
• unthrifty
• openhearted
• wasting
• profligate
• spendthrift
• good-hearted
• prodigal
• greathearted
• dissipating
• thriftless
• squandering
• splurging
• frittering

4

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

that was a cheap thing to say to someone who never did you any harm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lame
• pitiful
• dirty
• nasty
• wretched
• mean
• disgusting
• hateful
• lousy
• deplorable
• contemptible
• sorry
• vile
• grubby
• paltry
• despicable
• pitiable
• scabby
• ratty
• sneaking
• cruddy
• scurvy
• scummy
• abominable
• disgraceful
• shameful
• odious
• loathsome
• detestable
• shabby
• abhorrent
• repulsive
• disreputable
• repugnant
• revolting
• execrable
• dishonorable
• condemnable
• ignominious
• low
• discreditable
• sordid
• ignoble
• squalid
• base
• unscrupulous
• craven
• reprehensible
• cowardly
• reptilian
• unprincipled
• unethical
• revulsive
• dastardly
• censurable
• blamable
• reproachable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• admirable
• creditable
• commendable
• laudable
• meritorious
• praiseworthy
• honest
• reputable
• honorable
• noble
• good
• upright
• scrupulous
• principled
• right
• redoubtable
• moral
• ethical
• virtuous
• righteous
• high-minded
• right-minded

5

as in easy

involving minimal difficulty or effort

the boxer's early bouts were cheap wins, but now he's moving up to the top ranks of boxing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• easy
• simple
• smooth
• ready
• quick
• painless
• straightforward
• soft
• effortless
• facile
• light
• royal
• snap
• fluid
• fluent
• downhill
• uncomplicated
• hands-down
• obvious
• mindless
• transparent
• plain
• unchallenging
• clear
• idiotproof
• unambiguous
• unmistakable
• evident
• distinct
• apparent
• patent
• unequivocal
• clear-cut
• manifest
• open-and-shut
• palpable
• perspicuous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• difficult
• hard
• tough
• stiff
• severe
• killer
• laborious
• rough
• formidable
• strenuous
• arduous
• exacting
• murderous
• demanding
• painful
• troublesome
• grueling
• labored
• toilsome
• herculean
• onerous
• burdensome
• oppressive
• stressful
• exhausting
• complex
• complicated
• problematic
• toilful
• intricate
• involved
• abstruse
• taxing
• recondite
• knotty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cheap

During the briefing, Vance asserted that these schools are improperly using J-1 visas, the main class of visa used by international postdocs, to bring in cheap labor rather than relying on domestic researchers. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026

Using cheap aluminum foil on both sides instead of expensive copper foil makes sodium batteries much cheaper to produce. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Produced in China, the Ojai is significantly cheaper than the Jaguar even after tariffs. — Henry Payne, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Key points Midstream energy infrastructure remains cheap despite stronger oil and natural gas prices. — Timothy Seymour, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing cheap

• dirt cheap