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cheap

cheap

199 6.5
Not willing to spend money even when needed
  • adjective
  • /tʃiːp/
translation icon : tacaño
  • I am too cheap to buy really expensive ice cream.
  • too cheap

Don't you know that for Sale by owners are mean, cheap and crazy?

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Examples

  • I know how cheap you are.

  • "You were too cheap to take a cab, and look where you've got us!

    Academic text (2002)
  • And you and I both know that Bob is way too cheap to take a trip to Europe, come on now.

  • I tend to be kind of cheap with my books, Smart.

  • Because deep down, cheap people don't really think it's a problem.

  • All right, Valentina, take your cheap self somewhere else.

  • I'm just saying guys, I'm cheap so so I like a bargain.

  • Damn, Sal, you're cheap, man.

  • He goes, well, it's not that I'm cheap, I'm selective.

  • He's so cheap that he won't even buy a birthday gift for his best friend.

Synonyms

tight
vscheap
  • Informal
45 7.7

Unwilling to spend money

is the stronger sense where refusal to spend causes personal embarrassment
stingy
vscheap
26 5.2

Not willing to spend money or give help to others

is more extreme, describing unwillingness that leads to embarrassment
miserly
vscheap
3 7.9

Not willing to spend or give money even when they have enough

is the same reluctance but carried so far it becomes embarrassing
parsimonious
vscheap
2 9.9

A person who is unwilling to spend money and avoids buying things

is used when reluctance to spend becomes socially embarrassing
tightfisted
vscheap
  • Offensive
1 8.0

A person who does not like to spend money

is the broader idea of such saving that can shame the person socially
chintzy
vscheap
  • Informal
1 8.8

Not willing to spend money

is about being unwilling to spend even when it may not be obvious
picayunish
vscheap
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Unwilling to spend money, even for small things

is the general trait that can be more socially embarrassing than pettiness
chinchy
vscheap
  • Offensive
9.9

Not willing to spend money or share costs

is the general label for being overly stingy even if less noticeable
pinchpenny
vscheap
  • Offensive
9.2

Not willing to spend money, even for small things

is the trait of refusing to spend that can cause embarrassment
penurious
vscheap
  • Formal
9.9

Not willing to spend money even when they have it

is the description for being overly ungiving until it becomes shameful
hardfisted
vscheap
  • Offensive
9.9

Not willing to spend or share money

is about the same avoidance but with social shame as a result
scrimy
vscheap
  • Archaic
9.9

Unwilling to give money or things

is the same refusal but emphasizes causing embarrassment not smallness

Antonyms

79 1.2

Willing to forgive small mistakes and not be strict

59 5.5

Rich and full of expensive things, like a large party or home

Idioms

dirt cheap
  • Informal
14 2.8

Very cheap and costing almost nothing

A very good deal that is worth more than its low price

To give in easily when under pressure

talk is cheap
  • Informal
7.0

Saying you will do something is easy but doing it matters

Compounds

cheap shot
  • NSFW
9 5.6

An unfair physical attack on a player, often after the play stops

8 3.0

A seat that costs little and has a poor view at an event

cheap shot
  • Informal
7 5.2

An unfair comment that attacks someone who cannot defend themselves

cheap thrill
  • Informal
5 4.1

A small exciting feeling you get from something that costs little

cheap money
  • Specialized
3 4.1

Loans and credit available at very low interest rates

A low-cost fake of a brand-name item that looks like the real thing but is lower quality

cheap drunk
  • Informal
1 8.6

A person who gets drunk after only a small amount of alcohol

1 2.7

A low-cost meal from a restaurant, cafe, or food stall

cheap-jack
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who sells poor-quality goods in a loud, showy way

cheap-arse Tuesday
  • Offensive
9.7

A day, usually Tuesday, when cinemas and other places sell tickets at lower prices

How Stingy

miserly
3 7.9
cheap
199 6.5
stingy
26 5.2
frugal
31 4.9
generous
328 1.6

Surface Forms

cheap positive
cheaper comparative
cheapest superlative

Etymology

Cheap comes from the old English ceap for 'bargain', and people began to call someone who always wants the lowest price 'cheap' in the sense of not wanting to spend money. So, cheap can mean 'stingy' or unwilling to pay more.