Synonyms of cheapen

cheapen

verb

ˈchē-pən 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• devalue
• depress
• lower
• depreciate
• devaluate
• attenuate
• sink
• shrink
• downgrade
• write down
• mark down
• write off
• debase
• break
• undervalue
• underestimate
• underrate
• lessen
• underprice
• compress
• abridge
• dwindle
• demonetize
• deflate
• downsize
• moderate
• contract
• de-escalate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhance
• appreciate
• upgrade
• inflate
• mark up
• increase
• add
• blow up
• overestimate
• extend
• expand
• augment
• maximize
• heighten
• amplify
• enlarge
• raise
• multiply
• boost
• escalate
• bloat
• swell
• overrate
• dilate
• overvalue
• overprice
• aggrandize
• compound
• up
• balloon

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

• degrade
• weaken
• subvert
• humiliate
• demean
• dilute
• deteriorate
• debase
• corrupt
• poison
• destroy
• lessen
• ruin
• bastardize
• pervert
• debauch
• vitiate
• damage
• disgrace
• pollute
• mar
• deprave
• prostitute
• abase
• demoralize
• hurt
• shame
• taint
• contaminate
• impair
• humble
• warp
• profane
• dirty
• harm
• spoil
• canker
• dishonor
• tarnish
• thin
• defile
• wreck
• water down
• flaw
• depreciate
• befoul
• stain
• begrime
• deface
• descend
• take down
• downgrade
• blemish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevate
• improve
• honor
• better
• uplift
• enhance
• exalt
• ennoble
• enrich
• perfect
• amend
• ameliorate
• dignify
• restore
• refine
• clarify
• clean
• purify
• respect
• cleanse
• meliorate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• humiliate
• discredit
• embarrass
• degrade
• demean
• shame
• debase
• humble
• confuse
• disgrace
• dishonor
• insult
• diminish
• rattle
• abase
• take down
• lower
• detract
• criticize
• chasten
• minimize
• disparage
• smirch
• belittle
• foul
• sink
• depreciate
• mortify
• ridicule
• disconcert
• faze
• confound
• defame
• decry
• condemn
• discount
• malign
• discountenance
• libel
• defile
• slander
• affront
• discomfit
• fluster
• castigate
• write off
• abash
• denounce
• bad-mouth
• put down
• cry down
• nonplus
• damn
• censure
• execrate
• reprehend
• reprobate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevate
• exalt
• aggrandize
• honor
• commend
• celebrate
• recognize
• applaud
• boast
• compliment
• deify
• canonize
• acknowledge
• congratulate
• tout
• cite
• praise
• laud
• decorate
• extol
• cheer
• salute
• eulogize
• highlight
• hail
• acclaim
• promote
• glorify
• ennoble
• fete
• dignify
• magnify
• enshrine
• raise
• advance
• lift
• boost
• play up
• uplift
• upgrade
• spotlight
• enthrone
• romanticize
• idealize
• ensky

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cheapen

Ahead, designers reveal the everyday décor traps that inadvertently cheapen a front door, and how to curate a welcoming first impression instead. — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 5 June 2026

Ignoring Proportions Furnishings and decor that are the wrong size for the space immediately cheapen the look of it, LaMarque says. — Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 29 May 2026

Granting local voting power to people who have not completed that process or who have no interest in doing so, including those here unlawfully, cheapens the commitment made by millions of immigrants who did. — Matt Klink, Oc Register, 1 May 2026

And the body that sold stories like Chambliss’s for years, who swore compensating players would cheapen the game, is the only entity who wants his story to end. — Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026