Cheap vs. Steep — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Published on December 29, 2023
Cheap refers to something low in cost or value. Steep pertains to a sharp gradient or incline, or can mean excessive in price or amount.
Difference Between Cheap and Steep
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Cheap is a term primarily associated with the cost or value of something. When an item is described as cheap, it means it's available at a low price or is of lesser quality. Conversely, steep, when referring to price, denotes a high or excessive cost. However, the word steep is more commonly associated with a sharp gradient or angle.
In the marketplace, consumers are often on the lookout for cheap products or services that offer good value for money. On the other hand, if someone were to say the price of a product is steep, they're indicating that it might be too expensive or more than what they're willing to pay.
Topographically speaking, a hill or mountain with a sharp incline is referred to as steep. In such contexts, the word cheap has no relevance. The steepness of a terrain can be a challenge for climbers or trekkers.
While both cheap and steep can relate to costs, they signify opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. Steep prices may deter some buyers, while cheap prices may attract bargain hunters. However, it's important to note that cheap doesn't always indicate poor quality, and steep doesn't always guarantee the best.
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Low in cost or value.
Sharp gradient or incline.
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Associated with
Price, quality.
Gradient, price.
Connotation
Affordable, possibly lesser quality.
Challenging (incline) or expensive (price).
Usage
Economic context.
Topographical or economic context.
Opposite term
Expensive.
Flat (for terrain) or affordable (for price).
Compare with Definitions
Cheap
Achieved with little effort.
His cheap remarks offended many.
Steep
Filled with or involving.
The story was steeped in mystery.
Cheap
Stingy or miserly.
Don't be so cheap; share some of your candy.
Steep
Having a sharp inclination; precipitous.
Cheap
Relatively low in cost; inexpensive or comparatively inexpensive.
Steep
At a rapid or precipitous rate
A steep rise in imports.
Cheap
Charging low prices
A cheap restaurant.
Steep
Excessive; stiff
A steep price.
Cheap
Obtainable at a low rate of interest. Used especially of money.
Steep
Ambitious; difficult
A steep undertaking.
Cheap
Devalued, as in buying power
Cheap dollars.
Steep
A precipitous slope.
Cheap
Achieved with little effort
A cheap victory.
Cheap laughs.
Steep
The act or process of steeping.
Cheap
Of or considered of small value
In wartime, when life was cheap.
Steep
The state of being steeped.
Cheap
Of poor quality; inferior
A cheap toy.
Steep
A liquid, bath, or solution in which something is steeped.
Cheap
Worthy of no respect; vulgar or contemptible
A cheap gangster.
Steep
To immerse in liquid for a period of time, as to cleanse, treat, or extract a given property from
Steeped the cloth in red dye.
Steeped the tea bag in boiling water.
Cheap
Stingy; miserly.
Steep
To involve or preoccupy thoroughly; immerse
As a child, she steeped herself in adventure stories.
Cheap
Inexpensively
Got the new car cheap.
Steep
To make thoroughly wet; saturate.
Cheap
(obsolete) Trade; traffic; chaffer; chaffering.
Steep
To undergo a soaking in liquid
Let the tea steep for five minutes.
Cheap
(obsolete) A market; marketplace.
Steep
Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
A steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient
Cheap
Price.
Steep
(informal) expensive
Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.
Cheap
(obsolete) A low price; a bargain.
Steep
(obsolete) Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
Cheap
Cheapness; lowness of price; abundance of supply. en
Steep
(of the rake of a ship's mast, or a car's windshield) resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular
The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior.
Cheap
Low and/or reduced in price.
Steep
The steep side of a mountain etc.; a slope or acclivity.
Cheap
Of poor quality.
Steep
A liquid used in a steeping process
Corn steep has many industrial uses.
Cheap
Of little worth.
Steep
A rennet bag.
Cheap
Underhand or unfair.
The cheap trick of hiding deadly lava under pushable blocks
Steep
To soak or wet thoroughly.
They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather.
The tea is steeping.
Cheap
Stingy; mean; excessively frugal.
Insurance is expensive, but don't be so cheap that you risk losing your home because of a fire.
Steep
To imbue with something; to be deeply immersed in.
A town steeped in history
Cheap
(finance) Trading at a price level which is low relative to historical trends, a similar asset, or (for derivatives) a theoretical value.
The ETF is trading cheap to NAV right now; we can arb this by buying the ETF and selling the underlying constituents.
Steep
To make tea (or other beverage) by placing leaves in hot water.
Cheap
To trade; traffic; bargain; chaffer; ask the price of goods; cheapen goods.
Steep
Bright; glittering; fiery.
His eyen steep, and rolling in his head.
Cheap
To bargain for; chaffer for; ask the price of; offer a price for; cheapen.
Steep
Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.
Cheap
To buy; purchase.
Steep
Difficult of access; not easily reached; lofty; elevated; high.
Cheap
To sell.
Steep
Excessive; as, a steep price.
Cheap
Cheaply.
Steep
To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.
Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.
In refreshing dew to steepThe little, trembling flowers.
The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin.
Cheap
A bargain; a purchase; cheapness.
The sack that thou hast drunk me would have bought me lights as good cheap at the dearest chandler's in Europe.
Steep
To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping.
Cheap
Having a low price in market; of small cost or price, as compared with the usual price or the real value.
Where there are a great sellers to a few buyers, there the thing to be sold will be cheap.
Steep
Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.
Cheap
Of comparatively small value; common; mean.
You grow cheap in every subject's eye.
Steep
A rennet bag.
Cheap
Cheaply.
Steep
A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice.
We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices.
Bare steeps, where desolation stalks.
Cheap
To buy; to bargain.
Steep
A steep place (as on a hill)
Cheap
Relatively low in price or charging low prices;
It would have been cheap at twice the price
Inexpensive family restaurants
Steep
Engross (oneself) fully;
He immersed himself into his studies
Cheap
Tastelessly showy;
A flash car
A flashy ring
Garish colors
A gaudy costume
Loud sport shirts
A meretricious yet stylish book
Tawdry ornaments
Steep
Let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse;
Steep the blossoms in oil
Steep the fruit in alcohol
Cheap
Of very poor quality
Steep
Having a sharp inclination;
The steep attic stairs
Steep cliffs
Cheap
Embarrassingly stingy
Steep
Greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation;
Exorbitant rent
Extortionate prices
Spends an outrageous amount on entertainment
Usorious interest rate
Unconscionable spending
Cheap
Costing little money or less than expected.
I found a cheap flight to New York.
Steep
Of a slope; set at a high angle;
Note the steep incline
A steep roof sheds snow
Cheap
Of low quality; inferior.
The toy broke easily because it was made of cheap plastic.
Steep
Having a sharp incline or gradient.
The mountain path was too steep for vehicles.
Cheap
Lacking in value; worthy of scorn.
Using that trick was a cheap way to win.
Steep
Excessive or exorbitant in price.
The tickets for the concert were steep, but worth it.
Steep
To immerse in liquid to extract flavor or soften.
Steep the tea leaves for five minutes.
Steep
Sudden or dramatic.
There was a steep decline in sales.
Common Curiosities
Is something cheap always of low quality?
No, cheap indicates low cost, but not necessarily low quality.
Can steep be related to pricing?
Yes, when referring to price, steep means excessive or high in cost.
Can a product be both cheap and steep?
No, in the context of pricing, they are opposites.
What does a steep hill mean?
A steep hill has a sharp incline or gradient.
What does cheap primarily indicate?
Cheap primarily refers to something low in cost or value.
Can cheap be used to describe behavior?
Yes, it can mean something done with little effort or of low value, e.g., "a cheap trick."
How can the term cheap be used in everyday conversation?
"I got these shoes on sale; they were really cheap."
What might a steep price imply?
A steep price implies that something is expensive or more than expected.
Can steep describe a sudden change?
Yes, like a "steep drop in temperature."
Can cheap refer to a stingy person?
Yes, describing someone as cheap can mean they are stingy or miserly.
Does cheap always have a negative connotation?
Not always; it can merely indicate affordability, but can also suggest inferiority.
How is steep used in cooking?
In cooking, to steep means to soak something in liquid to extract flavors or soften it.
In what context might someone use the term steep outside of pricing?
"The trail up the mountain was very steep."
Are cheap and steep antonyms in every context?
No, while they are opposites in terms of pricing, steep's primary meaning relates to gradient, where cheap has no equivalent antonym.
Does a steep incline always relate to mountains?
No, it can relate to any surface or scenario with a sharp gradient.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
