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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cheapen
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
In practice this approach only cheapens the form.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 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
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
In practice this approach only cheapens the form.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 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
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Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols and caffeine, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage while defending against cognitive decline.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Snowmaking specialist TechnoAlpin, which is supplying this year’s Winter Olympics, said technology has advanced significantly over recent decades, reducing energy demand and water consumption.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Infrastructure in Venezuela is severely degraded, and any meaningful revival would likely require more than $100 billion in investment over a decade.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Because the state has a progressive tax system that collects larger portions of its revenue from the wealthy, Newsom argued the flight of just small numbers of billionaires could significantly degrade the state’s budget pictures in the long run.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Days after the segment was recorded, Schmitz shot Amedure to death, then confessed to the murder, saying he'd been humiliated on national TV.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Investors don’t want to inadvertently cheer on weakening job growth that could negatively impact consumer spending and economic growth, hurting stock prices.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The National Weather Service says the ridge keeping California dry since last month is beginning to weaken.—
Monica Garske,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In some of the depositions, State Farm attorneys attempted to discredit their testimony.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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During closing arguments, prosecutors used the four photographs at the center of the controversy to discredit the testimony of Link’s mother, the order says.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yet, because of the loophole in the Citizens United ruling, foreign investors can now subvert that federal law through multinational corporations.—
Michael Gianaris,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Gourault often subverts the extractivist logic of new media technologies and employs open-source investigation in the production of his films.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Go ahead and embarrass our community with the name change.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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And then Thaddeus’s arm falls off, embarrassing his companions.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 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 12 Feb. 2026.
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