1
as in to reduce
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 to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
a politician who would cheapen herself by caving in to lobbyists
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3
as in to humiliate
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cheapen
Cost-cutting had cheapened the vehicle, and the two available naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines were tuned for efficiency rather than performance.
—
Michael Harley, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Otto is also suicidal — something A Man Called Otto never sufficiently dramatizes, cheapening the codger’s despair as the film prepares for the feel-good ending to come.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Regardless of the game’s quality, the deliberately profit-minded release model cheapens the spirit of the series, and is a practice that feels wholly antithetical to Life is Strange’s ethos.
—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024
Toy Story 4 was okay, but in some ways cheapened the perfect ending to the previous film.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cheapen
Michael Harley, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Otto is also suicidal — something A Man Called Otto never sufficiently dramatizes, cheapening the codger’s despair as the film prepares for the feel-good ending to come.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Regardless of the game’s quality, the deliberately profit-minded release model cheapens the spirit of the series, and is a practice that feels wholly antithetical to Life is Strange’s ethos.
—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024
Toy Story 4 was okay, but in some ways cheapened the perfect ending to the previous film.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cheapen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheapen
Verb
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Guided by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has moved aggressively the past week to fire probationary workers across federal departments and agencies in an effort to drastically reduce the size of the government.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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Incentive use may also be weakening as a sales strategy as elevated interest rates reduce the pool of eligible home buyers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The conspiratorial right aims to degrade the state’s ability to collect taxes, conduct diplomacy, prosecute violations of civil rights, and otherwise carry out its duties.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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In sum, proper use of AI should be encouraged, as opposed to this case where the D grade appeared to degrade its use.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In one sentence, Hegseth turned a conflict, in which Moscow had been roundly diminished and humiliated for three years, into the chaotic re-ordering of continental security, in which Moscow may somehow dominate to its west.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
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Zachary Basu Feb 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy Trump strangles Europe President Trump stunned, strangled and humiliated Europe — leaving America's closest continental ally dazed and dumbfounded.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Fed officials are closely monitoring inflation and the labor market for signs of a potentially weakening economy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
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In the fourth quarter of 2024, WK Kellogg reported net sales of $640 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to $651 million in the same period in 2023, impacted by a 5.6% volume decline and a 40 basis point headwind from the weakening Canadian dollar.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And a cover-up may have furthered the aims of domestic espionage operations like the CIA’s CHAOS and the FBI’s COINTELPRO, which targeted and discredited radical movements whether hippies, Black Panthers, or anti-war activists.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
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Yes, but: King's family is concerned that Trump's order to release records about his assassination could revive the FBI's attempts to discredit him — efforts that sought to exploit his indiscretions with women and undermine his legacy, sources close to his relatives told Axios.—
Russell Contreras,
Axios,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This time around, the writers subvert the whole concept of having an In Memorian section at all.—
Joe Berkowitz,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2025
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Romance writers are excellent at combining tropes, of subverting the traditional view of a trope, and applying tropes to an infinite number of new settings, characters, and conflicts.—
Denise Williams,
People.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The rest would sooner expect the AfD to embarrass Germany than to save it.—
Simon Shuster/Berlin,
TIME,
22 Feb. 2025
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The rapper has famously pressed people (and embarrassed them) regarding giving him monies owed on social media.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The meme appeared on the BlueSky and LinkedIn platforms, where users called the company out for its inappropriate, demeaning nature.—
Sheila Callaham,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
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Trump has no mandate Also, as Trump tries to demean you with Putin’s false claim that your approval rating is at 4%, keep in mind that Trump barely won.—
Sabrina Haake,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cheapen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheapen. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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