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Glite Dictionary
to hold cheap

to hold cheap

7.2
To think someone or something has little value
  • phrasal verb
  • Literature
translation icon : menospreciar
  • She realized that she shouldn’t hold cheap her friends' advice when making important decisions.

Examples

  • If you hold cheap your education, it may impact your future career opportunities.

  • Many people tend to hold cheap the importance of mental health in our fast-paced society.

  • Whilst the above is true, we ought not wholly deride or hold cheap human ingenuity and design ability.

    Blog text (21)

Synonyms

to discount
vsto hold cheap
75 4.2

To treat something as unimportant and ignore it

treats worth as low rather than merely ignoring or dismissing importance
to underrate
vsto hold cheap
3 3.7

To think someone has less ability or importance than they really have

focuses on worth and general disregard rather than formal underestimation
to undervalue
vsto hold cheap
2 4.1

Give a lower price than it really is worth

treats worth as low in a general dismissive way rather than precise measurement
to misprise
vsto hold cheap
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To think someone or something is not important

is more about general contempt and dismissive attitude than mere failure to appreciate
to sell short
vsto hold cheap
1 5.7

To think a person or thing cannot do as much as they really can

views worth as low now or always rather than underestimating future potential
to disvalue
vsto hold cheap
8.4

To treat something as not worth much or make it worth less

is more about general underrating and disregard rather than active reduction of value

Antonyms

to appreciate
∞ 3.2

To feel grateful for someone or something

to value
285 1.9

To think a person or thing is important

How Esteemed

respect
∞ 1.0
to admire
743 1.6
value
∞ 1.3
to disregard
119 3.9
to hold cheap
  • Literature
7.2
to look down on
  • Offensive
53 3.7
to despise
192 4.9

Surface Forms

hold cheap infinitive
held cheap past
held cheap past participle
holding cheap present participle
holds cheap third person singular

Morphology

hold + cheap

The meaning 'to consider of little worth' is directly compositional from 'hold' (to have or express an opinion) plus 'cheap' (of little value); a learner who knows those words can infer this evaluative sense. Although the verb+adjective pattern 'hold X cheap' is somewhat formal or less frequent than 'consider X cheap', the semantic relation is transparent and cross-linguistically straightforward, so a B1 learner would likely understand it.

Etymology

Hold cheap comes from the image of someone holding an item and calling it cheap, as if it has little price or value. That's why it means 'to consider something of little worth'.