cheapen
verb
cheap·en ˈchē-pən 
cheapened; cheapening ˈchēp-niŋ
ˈchē-pə-
transitive verb
1
[obsolete English cheap to price, bid for] archaic
a
: to ask the price of
b
: to bid or bargain for
2
a
: to make cheap in price or value
b
: to lower in general esteem
c
: to make tawdry, vulgar, or inferior
intransitive verb
: to become cheap
Synonyms
- attenuate
- break
- depreciate
- depress
- devaluate
- devalue
- downgrade
- lower
- mark down
- reduce
- sink
- write down
- write off
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
products cheapened by sloppy workmanship Using the national flag in advertising only cheapens it. Poor marketing can cheapen a brand name. I thought that the show cheapened the lives of the people it portrayed. The wedding ceremony was cheapened by the best man's tasteless jokes.
Recent Examples on the Web Forgiving debt will cheapen the accomplishment of having attained a college degree and further undermine the work ethic of everyday Americans. 
WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 Putting more time between races would cheapen the accomplishment and all future Triple Crown winners would deserve to have an asterisk next to their names. Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 14 May 2022 These enlightened and compelling updates never cheapen the legacy of this story. Courtney Howard, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022 But Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, and resurrecting him will cheapen his emotional arc. Chris Smith, BGR, 27 Feb. 2022 That doesn’t cheapen Georgia’s 33-18 triumph over Alabama on the big stage. Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2022 When cultural change becomes a product, cheap versions abound, which threatens to cheapen our future, too. Devon Powers, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 Brands, particularly luxury labels, have been caught destroying unsold goods in order to avoid using off-price sellers who might cheapen the value of the brand. Joan Verdon, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 Opponents have argued at several public hearings that the project threatens to cheapen living standards for tenants across the city and evict current residents when replacement housing is all but impossible to find. The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Dec. 2021 See More
WSJ, 6 Sep. 2022 Putting more time between races would cheapen the accomplishment and all future Triple Crown winners would deserve to have an asterisk next to their names. Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 14 May 2022 These enlightened and compelling updates never cheapen the legacy of this story. Courtney Howard, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022 But Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, and resurrecting him will cheapen his emotional arc. Chris Smith, BGR, 27 Feb. 2022 That doesn’t cheapen Georgia’s 33-18 triumph over Alabama on the big stage. Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2022 When cultural change becomes a product, cheap versions abound, which threatens to cheapen our future, too. Devon Powers, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 Brands, particularly luxury labels, have been caught destroying unsold goods in order to avoid using off-price sellers who might cheapen the value of the brand. Joan Verdon, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 Opponents have argued at several public hearings that the project threatens to cheapen living standards for tenants across the city and evict current residents when replacement housing is all but impossible to find. The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1562, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
cheapen
verb
cheap·en ˈchē-pən
cheapened; cheapening
: to cause to be of lower quality, value, or importance
Products are cheapened by poor workmanship.
cheapening
verb
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
- reducing
- lowering
- devaluing
- devaluating
- sinking
- depreciating
- depressing
- downgrading
- attenuating
- shrinking
- debasing
- writing down
- breaking
- marking down
- writing off
- undervaluing
- demonetizing
- lessening
- underrating
- underestimating
- underpricing
- compressing
- downsizing
- dwindling
- abridging
- deflating
- contracting
- moderating
- de-escalating
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- enhancing
- appreciating
- upgrading
- inflating
- increasing
- adding
- bloating
- marking up
- augmenting
- expanding
- maximizing
- extending
- enlarging
- amplifying
- overestimating
- multiplying
- heightening
- blowing up
- boosting
- escalating
- raising
- swelling
- compounding
- overvaluing
- overpricing
- overrating
- dilating
- aggrandizing
- upping
- ballooning
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
- degrading
- debasing
- diluting
- subverting
- corrupting
- weakening
- humiliating
- debauching
- deteriorating
- bastardizing
- damaging
- demeaning
- poisoning
- ruining
- destroying
- perverting
- disgracing
- lessening
- depraving
- prostituting
- polluting
- marring
- vitiating
- tainting
- abasing
- shaming
- contaminating
- profaning
- demoralizing
- warping
- harming
- impairing
- cankering
- wrecking
- dishonoring
- dirtying
- thinning
- hurting
- tarnishing
- humbling
- defiling
- spoiling
- depreciating
- befouling
- watering down
- downgrading
- defacing
- staining
- descending
- begriming
- flawing
- blemishing
- taking down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- elevating
- improving
- exalting
- honoring
- uplifting
- enhancing
- ennobling
- enriching
- ameliorating
- amending
- perfecting
- dignifying
- restoring
- respecting
- refining
- cleaning
- clarifying
- purifying
- bettering
- cleansing
- meliorating
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
- humiliating
- discrediting
- degrading
- debasing
- disgracing
- embarrassing
- shaming
- dishonoring
- demeaning
- insulting
- lowering
- humbling
- confusing
- diminishing
- abasing
- rattling
- criticizing
- fouling
- sinking
- minimizing
- ridiculing
- detracting
- discounting
- chastening
- disparaging
- belittling
- taking down
- depreciating
- smirching
- mortifying
- decrying
- maligning
- disconcerting
- condemning
- defiling
- flustering
- defaming
- slandering
- discomfiting
- discountenancing
- confounding
- affronting
- libeling
- fazing
- denouncing
- castigating
- abashing
- nonplussing
- nonplusing
- crying down
- libelling
- execrating
- bad-mouthing
- writing off
- damning
- censuring
- reprobating
- putting down
- reprehending
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- elevating
- exalting
- aggrandizing
- honoring
- deifying
- praising
- celebrating
- citing
- recognizing
- canonizing
- complimenting
- commending
- acknowledging
- lauding
- touting
- congratulating
- applauding
- acclaiming
- eulogizing
- decorating
- boasting
- saluting
- hailing
- cheering
- highlighting
- promoting
- glorifying
- advancing
- dignifying
- ennobling
- extolling
- feting
- magnifying
- upgrading
- enshrining
- spotlighting
- boosting
- raising
- lifting
- enthroning
- uplifting
- romanticizing
- fêting
- idealizing
- playing up
- enskying