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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Cheap Definition: Low Price or Poor Quality? (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：low in price (cheap)

cheap 🔊

/tʃiːp/

adj.

Doesn't cost much money; low in price.

Cheap price tag on a white T-shirt in market

low in price 🔊

➕

/loʊ ɪn praɪs/

adj.

Describes something that costs very little money; affordable.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'ceap' (bargain, trade), akin to Latin 'caupo' (merchant).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a cheap deal: low price but maybe low quality.

📖 Example

I found a really cheap flight to Japan for the summer holidays. 🔊 I found a really cheap flight to Japan for the summer holidays.

🔗 Collocations

cheap price – a low price

cheap goods – inexpensive items

cheap ticket – an affordable ticket

🔄 Synonyms

inexpensive (adj.) – Not costing a lot of money.

affordable (adj.) – Within one's financial means.

budget (adj.) – Designed for or available at a low cost.

🚫 Antonyms

expensive (adj.) – Costing a lot of money.

costly (adj.) – Involving great expense.

dear (adj.) – High in price.

🌱 Derivatives

cheaply (adv.) – At a low cost.

cheapness (n.) – The quality of being low in price.

cheapen (v.) – To make or become lower in price or quality.

📖 Cultural Story

Originally meant 'a bargain' in Old English. Over time, 'cheap' came to describe low-cost items, and later gained a negative connotation of low quality when used critically.

Meaning 2：poor quality (cheap)

cheap 🔊

/tʃiːp/

adj.

Low quality because it was made to be sold at a low price.

Cheap plastic toy robot with broken arm on table

poor quality 🔊

➕

/pʊr ˈkwɒləti/

adj.

Describes something made with low-quality materials or workmanship, often because it was inexpensive to produce.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The plastic toy felt very cheap and broke after just a few days. 🔊 The plastic toy seemed low-quality and broke after just a few days.

🔗 Collocations

cheap material – low-quality material used in production

cheap product – a product made with little attention to quality

cheap quality – inferior standard of workmanship or material

🔄 Synonyms

poor-quality (adj.) – Of a low standard.

shoddy (adj.) – Badly made or done.

flimsy (adj.) – Lacking strength or solidity.

🚫 Antonyms

high-quality (adj.) – Of superior standard.

durable (adj.) – Able to withstand wear and tear.

sturdy (adj.) – Strongly built; robust.

🌱 Derivatives

cheaply (adv.) – In a way that suggests poor quality or low cost.

cheapness (n.) – The state of being low in quality due to low cost.

cheapen (v.) – To make something seem less valuable or of lower quality.