pale

1 of 5

adjective

paler; palest
1
a
: deficient in color or intensity of color : pallid
a pale complexion
b(1)
: having color of reduced saturation (see saturation sense 4a)
a pale pink
(2)
: light in color especially relative to others of its kind
pale beers
2
: not bright or brilliant : dim
a pale sun shining through the fog
3
: feeble, faint
a pale imitation
palely adverb
paleness noun
palish adjective

pale

2 of 5

verb (1)

paled; paling

intransitive verb

: to become pale

transitive verb

: to make pale

pale

3 of 5

noun

1
: an area or the limits within which one is privileged or protected (as from censure)
conduct that was beyond the pale
2
a
: a space or field having bounds : enclosure
The cattle were led into the pale.
b
: a territory or district within certain bounds or under a particular jurisdiction
British culture survived even within the Roman pale.
3
a
: one of the stakes of a palisade
4
: a perpendicular stripe on a heraldic shield
5
archaic : palisade, paling

pale

4 of 5

verb (2)

paled; paling

transitive verb

: to enclose with pales : fence

pale-

5 of 5

combining form

see paleo-

Examples of pale in a Sentence

Adjective the pale wood of the table The walls were painted a pale blue. She has a pale complexion. Her illness had left her pale and weak. She grew pale with fright. Are you feeling well? You look pale. the pale light of dawn
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
April marks the beginning of Ojai Pixie Month which celebrates the harvest of pixie tangerines, the small, seedless, easy-to-peel, and incredibly sweet, pale orange fruit, grown by over 40 producers in Ventura County. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 The beloved couple introduced modern farmhouse decor to millions of homeowners who took to heart Joanna’s love of moody color paired with neutrals, barn doors, pale wood, and, of course, shiplap. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 Their bodies are mostly grey in color, but adults have a distinct red crown on their heads with pale white cheeks. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Wearing a matching pale yellow set, the young artist experimented with splatter paint as her easel was propped on the gravel, resting on a white cloth. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 The pale yellow or gold yeast is also gluten- and dairy-free. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Tiny cardboard cherry blossoms poke out of perfectly round, pale pink scoops of ice cream. Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 With a bit more effort and focus, your white paper can go from pale and stale to bringing in the green. April Rudin, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Ochre is a naturally occurring earth pigment that can be pale yellow, red, brown, and violet. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
The film — a sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, which opened to $153 million back in 2019 — made the most of any film released over the weekend, but its $47 million-grossed pales in comparison to the 32 other films Marvel Studios has released within its interconnected universe since 2008's Iron Man. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023 The stakes at hand for the Warriors’ season pale in comparison to the unimaginable loss of life most of this team witnessed firsthand. Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 However, a 90 percent success rate pales compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which has now amassed more than 230 straight successful launches. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2023 Still, a $20 million jackpot pales in comparison to last month’s $1.7 billion. Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023 The total wealth for those under 55 pales in comparison, only 2.5 times bigger during the same time frame. Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2023 The opening gross pales in comparison to the 32 other films Marvel Studios has released within its interconnected universe since 2008's Iron Man. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023 The stakes of all these combined pale compared with the show’s breathless investment in whether Bertha will get her box. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 Pretty quickly, Elizabeth recognizes her protest statement in Episode 6 –– wearing pants on live television –– pales in comparison to what Harriet is organizing for the sake of the neighborhood. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023
Verb
Such a tally pales in comparison to January’s whopping 353,000 job gains. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 All of which boils down to the expectation that, while some attractive deals remain out there to be made, upstream M&A action for 2024 will likely pale in comparison to 2023. David Blackmon, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Although Apple’s initial Mac sales paled compared with those of IBM at the time, Apple is still in the personal computer business. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 That pales in comparison with fin (468), humpback (356) and blue (210) whales, for instance. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023 That pales compared to the $300 billion-plus in annual revenue generated by health care giants like CVS Health. CBS News, 26 Dec. 2023 The numbers pale in comparison to the still-robust 163% the S&P 500 returned over the last 10 years. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024 However, the current crisis pales in comparison with the one that preceded it. Anna Cooban, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024 While the number of delegates at stake in New Hampshire might pale in comparison to larger states, the results will influence the shape of the race for the GOP nomination going forward. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English pale, paal, palle, borrowed from Anglo-French pale, palle, paille (also continental Old French), borrowed (with loss of unstressed -id-) from Latin pallidus "pale, colorless," formed with the adjective suffix -idus from the same base as pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color," pallor "paleness of complexion, loss of color" — more at fallow entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English palen, borrowed from Anglo-French palir (continental Old French palir, paloïr), going back (with conjugation change) to Latin pallēscere "to grow pale, turn a pale color," inchoative derivative of pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color" — more at fallow entry 1

Noun and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French pel, pal stake, from Latin palus — more at pole

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pale was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pale

Cite this Entry

“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pale. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pale

1 of 3 adjective
paler; palest
1
a
: light in color or shade : not vivid
a pale pink
b
: not having the warm skin color of a person in good health : pallid
became pale
2
: not bright or brilliant : dim
pale sunshine
palely adverb
paleness noun

pale

2 of 3 verb
paled; paling
: to make or become pale

pale

3 of 3 noun
1
: a stake or picket of a fence
2
: an enclosed place
3
: territory within clearly marked bounds or under a particular authority
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English pale "lacking in color," from early French pale (same meaning), from Latin pallidus (same meaning), from pallēre "to be pale"

Noun

Middle English pale "paling, picket," from early French pal "stake," from Latin palus (same meaning) — related to travel see Word History at travel

Medical Definition

pale

adjective
paler; palest
: deficient in color or intensity of color
a pale face
paleness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on pale

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