What does cheaply mean?
"Cheaply" is an adverb meaning at low cost or for little money. Its primary use is straightforwardly financial: goods may be produced, sold, or bought cheaply, and people may travel, eat, or live cheaply when keeping expenses down. The word derives from "cheap", which comes from Old English "ceap", meaning trade or purchase — the same root behind Cheapside, once London's main market street. While its literal sense is neutral, "cheaply" frequently acquires negative overtones when describing manner rather than price: something done cheaply suggests hasty, careless, or inferior workmanship, and behaving cheaply implies stinginess or a lack of dignity. Writers therefore use it both practically, as in budgeting and commerce, and critically, as shorthand for cutting corners. Its common derivatives include "cheap", "cheapen", "cheapness", and the informal "cheapskate".
adverbIn a way that costs little money; at a low price. By extension, in a way that shows little care, effort, or respect.
- At a low cost or price.
- In a manner showing poor quality, little effort, or lack of respect.
"They furnished the entire flat cheaply by shopping at second-hand markets."
"Airline tickets are often cheapest when booked well in advance, allowing travellers to fly cheaply across Europe."
"The film was accused of cashing in cheaply on nostalgia rather than telling a fresh story."
Every time you say something was bought 'cheap', you're using an Old English word that originally meant a trade or bargain — London's famous Cheapside street was literally the city's marketplace.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheaply
"Cheaply" is formed from the adjective "cheap" plus the adverbial suffix "-ly". "Cheap" descends from Old English "ceap", meaning purchase, bargain, or price, a term borrowed into Germanic from Latin "caupō" (petty tradesman, innkeeper). In Middle English, "good cheap" meant a good bargain, which survives in the phrase "dirt cheap" and in place names like Cheapside. The adverb developed alongside the adjective to describe actions done at low cost.
Related word forms
How cheaply is actually used
Neutral in most contexts of price ('travel cheaply'), but when applied to how something is done or made, 'cheaply' often carries a negative connotation of shoddiness or meanness ('a cheaply built house'), so choose it carefully when describing quality.
Easily confused with cheaply
'Cheeply' is not a standard English word; it is a misspelling of 'cheaply' influenced by 'cheep', the chirping sound a bird makes.