cheapening

verb

present participle of cheapen
1
as in reducing
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrading
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 humiliating
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cheapening There was only ever one copy of the album created, an intentional choice by RZA, the leader of the group, and Dutch Moroccan rapper and producer Cilvaringz, who felt the streaming age was cheapening music. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026 There was only ever one copy of the album created, an intentional choice by RZA, the leader of the group, and Dutch Moroccan rapper and producer Cilvaringz, who felt the streaming age was cheapening music. — Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026 Far from cheapening or diluting Ibsen’s themes and conflicts, the action revitalizes them. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheapening
  1. reducing
  2. degrading
  3. humiliating
  4. lowering
  5. corrupting
  6. discrediting
  7. weakening
  8. embarrassing
Verb
  • Other, small local initiatives have recently been aimed at improving post-release support and reducing recidivism.
    — Amber Gaudet July 18, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
  • Weakening high pressure to our east is slowly reducing scorching hot temperatures from earlier this week and diminishing the monsoonal moisture that provided unseasonable rain showers and thunderstorms.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • Overtourism can be highly problematic for cities, threatening to drive housing crises via short-term rentals, straining infrastructure to the breaking point and degrading local culture.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • The material can power reactions such as oxidizing organic molecules, potentially degrading pollutants, sterilizing surfaces, or enabling photocatalytic chemistry to continue later in the dark.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Verb
  • The changes were due in part to a cold front moving in that is lowering humidity Sunday afternoon and evening, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty explained on the prediction service’s website.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
  • This once daily oral tablet is capable of lowering your LDL cholesterol, also known as your 'bad cholesterol,’ by nearly 60%.
    — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of lowering
Verb
  • Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 May 2026
  • An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.
    — George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
  • Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
Definition of discrediting
Verb
  • The Knesset also recently passed several bills connected with Netanyahu’s attempts to overhaul the judiciary, including increasing government control over broadcast media and weakening the role of the attorney general.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • European commitment is weakening, with record Russian LNG purchases and growing pro-Russian political factions.
    — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Eric Silva isn’t even embarrassing them this season in the Tigers’ system over the Canha trade.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Ukraine has carried out major drone strikes on Russia’s two largest cities, embarrassing the Kremlin with images of black plumes of smoke that circulated widely online, despite regulations restricting their publication.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of embarrassing

Browse Nearby Words

cheapened
cheapening
cheapens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cheapening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheapening. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cheapening

Nglish: Translation of cheapening for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All