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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

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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

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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 The two are different in kind, and cheapening the first does nothing for the second. — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 14 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
  • The companies say expanding domestic recycling and processing could strengthen battery supply chains while reducing dependence on virgin critical minerals.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Still others are addressing problematic supply chains—recovering and recycling scarce materials, reducing waste, improving traceability, and helping farmers and other suppliers earn a more sustainable living.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • The study showed that adding synthetic, non-canonical amino acids called azatryptophans to plastic-degrading enzymes (PETases) can break the trade-off between catalytic activity and thermal stability.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Simply douse it with mildly alkaline water, and the polymer begins degrading, breaking down within minutes.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 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 407-foot rocket was designed from the start to be fully reusable, a key to lowering launch costs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Creating a market mechanism where compatibility is the price of admission forces traditional defense companies to compete with agile startups, ultimately lowering unit costs and guaranteeing better integration for the entire allied enterprise.
    — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of lowering
Verb
  • And by engaging with these powerful militaries, the group reinforced its self-image as a major regional player that was uniquely capable of liberating the Muslim world from corrupting American and Israeli influence.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • Matthew Cohen—who has also gone by Jason Goose—played his own part in discrediting the files.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of discrediting
Verb
  • Already, many import-dependent countries face shortages, fiscal pressure, and in some cases a difficult choice between cutting fuel subsidies and risking unrest or maintaining them and further weakening public finances.
    — RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Long-range seasonal guidance analyzed by Severe Weather Europe shows the stratospheric circulation potentially weakening during January and February.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Things escalate as the two share a car ride home from a fancy gala and the bad man yells at her for embarrassing him.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Neither party acted on it; Republicans wanted to avoid embarrassing Trump, while Democrats wanted to avoid embarrassing Nancy Pelosi, whose husband is an active trader.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of embarrassing

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cheapening
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Cite this Entry

“Cheapening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheapening. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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