1
as in to reduce
to diminish the price or value of
a glutted market cheapened cranberries to the point where they were selling for less than what it cost to grow them
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
a politician who would cheapen herself by caving in to lobbyists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
she really cheapens herself by shamelessly pursuing men like that
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cheapen
Thinking of this as just chapter one of a longer arc threatens to cheapen it a little in retrospect, especially if the finale is conclusive and satisfying.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Far from cheapening or diluting Ibsen’s themes and conflicts, the action revitalizes them.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
In this way, Bad Bunny’s popularity has not cheapened his message.
—Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Newcomers who don’t understand the rules, and somehow, seek to cheapen Pilates.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cheapen
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Far from cheapening or diluting Ibsen’s themes and conflicts, the action revitalizes them.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
In this way, Bad Bunny’s popularity has not cheapened his message.
—Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Newcomers who don’t understand the rules, and somehow, seek to cheapen Pilates.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cheapen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheapen
Verb
-
Its hypergolic propellant allows the missile to remain fueled for extended periods, reducing launch prep to minutes.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
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For inmates already on a hormone-replacement regimen, BOP will consider placing them on a taper plan that gradually reduces their dosage at a safe withdrawal pace.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vinegar can damage some finishes and the protective coating on some wood cabinets may have degraded over time.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
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All of these steps degrade or destroy the aromatic compounds that made the flower compelling in the first place.—
Sara Payan,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Most casual fans could spend their entire lives studying a library’s worth of chess theory, only to still be routinely humiliated by competitive players.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Feb. 2026
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Fatme feels humiliated, but Toha is too busy plotting how to return from her rundown village near the Nile.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Although weakened, the factions still survive, and could form a powerful, transnational and motivated insurgency when the time comes to fight whatever emerges if the Islamic Republic falls.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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Several bills that had been filed in the state Senate and House of Representatives, which critics have warned would weaken reporting and training standards for the Department of Child and Family Services, have been put on hold, according to state officials.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The defense argues these lines of inquiry were unrelated to the felony charges and intended to discredit the protesters’ political beliefs.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
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All four men were subjected to police interrogation techniques that are now widely discredited for leading to false confessions.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After all, one of the persistent impulses of modern art has been to antagonize people of correct sensibilities, to subvert their cherished institutions.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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While most women figure skaters are known to sport pristine buns and dance to very predictable classics and pop songs, Alysa Liu subverts the norm.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Noah Silver, Boca Raton Americans may need a refresher on why Attorney General Pam Bondi continues to embarrass herself and her office.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
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From that moment on, the guard helped the Hornets thoroughly embarrass the team that drafted him into the league, dropping the Bulls 131-99 in their 10th consecutive loss.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The imagery was largely criticized for echoing long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.—
Greg Cote
February 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cheapen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheapen. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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