What does cheapening mean?
Cheapening is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'to cheapen', meaning either to reduce the price of something or, more figuratively, to diminish its value, quality, or dignity. The word operates on two distinct planes. In commerce, cheapening is a straightforward matter of economics: competition, mass production, and discounting all serve to cheapen goods for consumers, often with no judgment implied. In cultural and moral contexts, however, the word takes on a critical edge — to accuse someone of cheapening an institution, a brand, or a public discourse is to claim they have degraded something that deserved better. This dual character makes the word especially useful in commentary and criticism, where writers frequently warn against cheapening standards, traditions, or achievements. Its negative figurative sense carries a connotation of loss: something valuable being made common, vulgar, or worthless. The word derives ultimately from Old English 'cēap', meaning trade or purchase, the same root behind London's Cheapside, once the city's great marketplace.
Present participle of 'cheapen': making something lower in price, or reducing its perceived value, quality, or dignity.
"Flooding the market with knock-offs was cheapening the product's image."
In economic contexts the term is neutral; in figurative contexts it implies degradation and is usually pejorative.
The process or practice of reducing prices, or the devaluation of something's quality or standing.
"The constant cheapening of news coverage eroded public trust in journalism."
Before it meant low-cost, 'cheap' meant market — the same Old English root that gives us Cheapside in London, once the busiest shopping street in medieval England.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheapening
Cheapening derives from the verb 'cheapen', formed in English from the adjective 'cheap', which itself descends from the Old English noun 'cēap', meaning purchase, bargain, or price — a sense preserved in London's Cheapside, historically the city's principal market street. The adjective 'cheap' originally meant simply 'of the market' or available for sale, and only later came to mean inexpensive. The verb 'cheapen', attested from roughly the sixteenth century, first referred to lowering prices and later developed the figurative sense of reducing worth or dignity, from which the participle 'cheapening' inherits both meanings. The same Germanic root lies behind archaic words such as 'chapman', meaning pedlar or merchant.
Related word forms
How cheapening is actually used
When applied to prices, 'cheapening' is largely neutral or commercial in tone; when applied to reputations, brands, art, or human relationships, it carries a distinctly negative connotation of degradation or loss of integrity. It is more common in formal writing and journalism than in everyday speech, where speakers often prefer phrases like 'making something cheaper' or 'dumbing down'.
Easily confused with cheapening
'Chastening' means disciplining or subduing someone, whereas 'cheapening' means lowering the price or value of something.