cheap
1 of 3adjective
ˈchēp 
1
a
: charging or obtainable at a low price
a good cheap hotel
cheap tickets
b
: purchasable below the going price or the real value
c
: depreciated in value (as by currency inflation)
cheap dollars
2
a
: of inferior quality or worth : tawdry, sleazy
cheap workmanship
b
: stingy
My uncle was too cheap to pay for dinner.
c
: contemptible because of lack of any fine, lofty, or redeeming qualities
feeling cheap
I felt cheap, full of shame and guilt
3
: gained or done with little effort
a cheap victory
talk is cheap
4
of money : obtainable at a low rate of interest
cheapish
ˈchē-pish
adjective cheapishly adverb
cheaply
ˈchē-plē
adverb cheapness noun
cheap
2 of 3adverb
: for little cost : cheaply
was able to buy it cheap
"It all seems to centre round that bust of Napoleon which I bought for this very room about four months ago. I picked it up cheap from Harding Brothers, two doors from the High Street Station."
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doylecheap
3 of 3noun
obsolete
: bargain see also for cheap, on the cheap
Synonyms
Adjective
- affordable
- bargain-basement
- budget
- cheapie
- cheapo
- chintzy
- cut-price [chiefly British]
- cut-rate
- dime-store
- dirt cheap
- el cheapo
- inexpensive
- low
- low-end
- popular
- reasonable
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective I always buy the cheapest brand of cereal. curtains made of cheap material He wears a cheap watch that's always breaking. This gas station is cheaper than the one by the highway. Don't be cheap—buy good quality tires for your car.
Recent Examples on the Web oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 That’s a good thing since none of the four will go for cheap. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2022 With prices starting at $250 for enough space to get a small cookout drunk and ranging up to $1,500 for one so enormous, it could be used to cater an outdoor wedding, the coolers aren’t cheap. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2022 The thesis in favor of acquisition would be to pick up the asset on the cheap since it's lost so much value in the past year. Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 One factor limiting student interest in culinary school is that a four-year culinary degree isn’t cheap. Allison Salerno, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 Make your own homemade cleaning products on the cheap with vinegar and other natural products. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2022 Those shots are always built in the past — easy to draw because a pencil is cheap. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 Aug. 2022 These grinders are cheap, and yes, using fresh beans in a blade grinder is far better than buying ground coffee. Jaina Grey Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Adjective
Oregon is cheap because the state doesn’t have a sales tax, which would otherwise add tens of millions of dollars to the cost of building and maintaining a data center. oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 That’s a good thing since none of the four will go for cheap. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2022 With prices starting at $250 for enough space to get a small cookout drunk and ranging up to $1,500 for one so enormous, it could be used to cater an outdoor wedding, the coolers aren’t cheap. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2022 The thesis in favor of acquisition would be to pick up the asset on the cheap since it's lost so much value in the past year. Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 One factor limiting student interest in culinary school is that a four-year culinary degree isn’t cheap. Allison Salerno, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 Make your own homemade cleaning products on the cheap with vinegar and other natural products. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Aug. 2022 Those shots are always built in the past — easy to draw because a pencil is cheap. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 Aug. 2022 These grinders are cheap, and yes, using fresh beans in a blade grinder is far better than buying ground coffee. Jaina Grey Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Adjective
Middle English chep, from Old English cēap trade; akin to Old High German kouf trade; both ultimately from Latin caupo tradesman
First Known Use
Adjective
1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Adverb
1569, in the meaning defined above
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing cheap
Kids Definition
cheap 1 of 2
adjective
ˈchēp
cheaper; cheapest
1
: not costing much
a cheap meal
2
: charging low prices
a cheap hotel
3
: worth little : of low quality
cheap perfume
4
: gained without much effort
a cheap victory
5
: having little self-respect
I feel cheap lying to her.
6
: not willing to share or spend money : stingy
my cheap uncle
cheap
2 of 2adverb
: at low cost
They'll sell cheap.
cheap
adjective
1
as in inexpensive
costing little e-mail is so popular because it's a cheap way to send messages Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- inexpensive
- affordable
- reasonable
- popular
- low
- cheapo
- cheapie
- chintzy
- budget
- discount
- discounted
- dirt cheap
- cut-price
- cut-rate
- worthless
- reduced
- cheapish
- bargain-basement
- low-end
- el cheapo
- dime-store
- wholesale
- supercheap
- moderate
- lowered
- ultracheap
- valueless
- fire-sale
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- expensive
- pricey
- costly
- valuable
- high
- premium
- precious
- deluxe
- pricy
- dear
- spendy
- overpriced
- exorbitant
- inflated
- extravagant
- prohibitive
- unreasonable
- increased
- steep
- stiff
- high-ticket
- invaluable
- priceless
- prohibitory
- luxurious
- superexpensive
- ultraexpensive
2
as in terrible
of low quality a cheap sweater that started to unravel almost as soon as I bought it Synonyms & Similar Words
- terrible
- poor
- inferior
- bad
- rotten
- coarse
- worthless
- common
- useless
- shoddy
- crappy
- mediocre
- rubbishy
- junky
- cheesy
- trashy
- wretched
- lousy
- cheapjack
- fake
- bum
- counterfeit
- miserable
- cut-rate
- schlock
- trumpery
- gimcrack
- sleazy
- execrable
- low-rent
- bargain-basement
- schlocky
- low-grade
- shlocky
- second-rate
- shlock
- tawdry
- valueless
- gaudy
- flashy
- el cheapo
- lackluster
- kitschy
- showy
- tacky
- meretricious
- shabby
- glitzy
- garish
- kitsch
- swank
- supercheap
- indifferent
- ostentatious
- splashy
- ultracheap
- seedy
- swanky
- phony
- sham
- brummagem
- second-class
- phoney
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- good
- excellent
- superior
- fine
- elegant
- tasteful
- top-notch
- first-rate
- handsome
- high-grade
- first-class
- polished
- refined
- handcrafted
3
as in careful
giving or sharing as little as possible a cheap coworker who never contributes to the collections taken up in the office Synonyms & Similar Words
- careful
- chintzy
- economical
- selfish
- tight
- greedy
- miserly
- stingy
- close
- parsimonious
- tightfisted
- ungenerous
- mingy
- stinting
- penurious
- spare
- closefisted
- pinchpenny
- mean
- pinching
- thrifty
- niggard
- desirous
- small
- penny-pinching
- frugal
- sparing
- uncharitable
- conserving
- economizing
- niggardly
- shabby
- saving
- hoggish
- skimping
- mercenary
- avaricious
- acquisitive
- scrimping
- sordid
- coveting
- covetous
- itchy
- chary
- rapacious
- grasping
- grudging
- envious
- avid
- inhospitable
- begrudging
- resentful
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- generous
- liberal
- free
- extravagant
- bountiful
- charitable
- munificent
- bounteous
- lavish
- openhanded
- unselfish
- handsome
- altruistic
- unsparing
- selfless
- unstinting
- overgenerous
- hospitable
- profuse
- benevolent
- freehanded
- beneficent
- magnanimous
- wasteful
- compassionate
- philanthropic
- philanthropical
- humanitarian
- kindly
- unthrifty
- greathearted
- wasting
- profligate
- openhearted
- spendthrift
- prodigal
- squandering
- good-hearted
- thriftless
- dissipating
- splurging
- frittering
4
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust that was a cheap thing to say to someone who never did you any harm Synonyms & Similar Words
- lame
- pitiful
- dirty
- nasty
- wretched
- disgusting
- mean
- lousy
- hateful
- sneaking
- deplorable
- contemptible
- grubby
- vile
- paltry
- sorry
- ratty
- despicable
- scabby
- pitiable
- cruddy
- scummy
- scurvy
- abominable
- shabby
- disgraceful
- shameful
- odious
- loathsome
- abhorrent
- detestable
- disreputable
- execrable
- repugnant
- repulsive
- revolting
- dishonorable
- low
- condemnable
- craven
- ignominious
- unscrupulous
- base
- ignoble
- sordid
- squalid
- discreditable
- reprehensible
- unprincipled
- cowardly
- unethical
- revulsive
- reptilian
- dastardly
- censurable
- blamable
- reproachable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- admirable
- praiseworthy
- laudable
- creditable
- commendable
- meritorious
- good
- reputable
- honest
- honorable
- noble
- scrupulous
- upright
- right
- virtuous
- ethical
- redoubtable
- moral
- high-minded
- righteous
- principled
- right-minded
5
as in easy
involving minimal difficulty or effort the boxer's early bouts were cheap wins, but now he's moving up to the top ranks of boxing Synonyms & Similar Words
- easy
- simple
- smooth
- quick
- ready
- straightforward
- painless
- soft
- facile
- light
- effortless
- downhill
- snap
- royal
- fluid
- fluent
- uncomplicated
- hands-down
- obvious
- plain
- transparent
- mindless
- unchallenging
- idiotproof
- patent
- unambiguous
- clear
- unmistakable
- unequivocal
- distinct
- apparent
- evident
- open-and-shut
- manifest
- perspicuous
- palpable
- clear-cut
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- difficult
- hard
- tough
- stiff
- laborious
- rough
- killer
- severe
- arduous
- formidable
- strenuous
- painful
- exacting
- troublesome
- murderous
- demanding
- onerous
- burdensome
- toilsome
- labored
- grueling
- herculean
- oppressive
- complicated
- problematic
- complex
- exhausting
- stressful
- problematical
- toilful
- gruelling
- intricate
- involved
- abstruse
- taxing
- recondite
- knotty
Phrases Containing cheap
- postmentum
- postmeridian
- postmidnight
- postmillenarian
- postmillenarianism
- postmillenarianisms
- postmillenarians
- postmillennial
- postmillennialism
- postmillennialisms
- postmillennialist
- postmillennialists
- postmineral
- postmistress
- postmistresses
- postmodern
- postmodernism
- postmodernisms
- postmodernist
- postmodernists
- postmodernity
- postmortem
- postmortem dividend
- postmortem examination
- postmortem examinations