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to cheapen

to cheapen

20 4.3
To make something seem less valuable, often by lowering its price or quality
  • verb
  • /ˈtʃiːpən/
translation icon : abaratar
  • He warned that excessive advertising could cheapen the brand's prestigious image.
  • cheapens the experience

They're like, why would you cheapen your God like that?

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Examples

  • And what really happens is you're now cheapening your brand value, right?

  • Has short form contact cheapened the art of film making?

  • I'd rather not cheapen what we have together.

  • I mean, anything less would be cheapening the experience for our users.

  • And I was very worried about doing an Office spinoff because I thought it would kind of cheapen the original.

  • It would cheapen the whole experience.

  • Don't let the world outside cheapen your gifts.

  • I think Adam's broad humor cheapens your wonderful writing.

  • I take it very seriously and I don't want people cheapening that with theatrics.

  • "The judicial process is tainted and justice cheapened when factual testimony is purchased, whether with leniency or money."

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

to diminish
vsto cheapen
89 4.7

Make a person or thing seem less important

also covers lowering price or reducing physical quality
to minimize
vsto cheapen
54 4.8

Make something seem less serious or important

also covers lowering price or reducing actual quality or value
to degrade
vsto cheapen
49 5.1

To make something worse in quality or value

also applies to making something seem socially less respected
to discount
vsto cheapen
36 1.7

To sell something at a lower price than usual

also means making it seem less respected or lowering quality
to detract
vsto cheapen
32 5.9

Make something seem less good or less valuable

also makes things seem less respected or important
to devalue
vsto cheapen
22 5.0

To make something seem less important or respected

also includes actually lowering price or physical quality
to deflate
vsto cheapen
20 4.6

To make someone feel less confident or important

also covers lowering market price or physical quality
to delegitimize
vsto cheapen
  • Formal
12 7.7

To make people think someone or something is not acceptable

also includes lowering value, price, or general respect
to mark down
vsto cheapen
6 2.5

To lower the price of something

also includes making it appear less valuable or respected
to bastardize
vsto cheapen
  • Informal
4 8.2

To make something lower quality by changing it from its original form

also affects reputation or makes something seem less important
to depreciate
vsto cheapen
1 6.5

Make a person or thing seem less important and less valuable

also includes lowering actual price or reducing quality
to devaluate
vsto cheapen
  • Specialized
7.4

To make something seem less valuable or important

is broader, also covering lowering price, quality, and respect

Antonyms

424 4.0

Make something better or more attractive

to elevate
  • Formal
52 4.4

To give someone a higher job or rank

How Cheap

to ruin
2.0
to debase
7 6.9
to cheapen
20 4.3
to degrade
49 5.1
to diminish
201 3.7

Surface Forms

cheapen infinitive
cheapened past
cheapened past participle
cheapening present participle
cheapens third person singular

Morphology

cheapen = cheap (transparent) = cheap + en

A regular verb-forming suffix '-en' added to the adjective 'cheap' yields the meaning 'make cheap', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Cheapen comes from cheap (from an old English word meaning 'bargain' or 'trade') and the verb ending -en meaning 'to make'. So to cheapen is to 'make like a bargain' — to lower the price or make something seem less valuable.