cheap
cheap Lexical Profile
cheap Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Low in price, especially in relation to similar items or services; costing very little money.
"Taking the bus is a much cheaper alternative to driving into the city center every day."
Of poor quality; poorly made and worthvery little.
"The cheap plastic handle snapped off the suitcase on its very first trip."
Unwilling to spend money; stingy or miserly.
"He was too cheap to pay for professional movers, so he asked his friends to carry all his heavy furniture."
Deserving of contempt because of dishonesty, unfairness, or lack of dignity; Petty or unprincipled.
"Making fun of the speaker's accent was a cheap attempt to score points with the audience."
• adverb
At a low price; for a small cost.
"They bought the historic house cheap and spent two years restoring it."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'inexpensive' is neutral or positive (focusing on affordability), 'cheap' frequently carries a negative connotation of inferior quality, pettiness, or stinginess.
• Rhymes for cheap
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English cēap ('trade, bargain, market, price'), ultimately borrowed from Latin caupō ('tradesman, innkeeper'); the modern adjective sense evolved from the Middle English phrase 'good cheap' meaning 'a good bargain'.