stale

¹stale

adj \ˈstāl\

stal·erstal·est

Definition of STALE

1

: tasteless or unpalatable from age <stale bread>

2

: tedious from familiarity <a stale routine>

3

: impaired in legal force or effect by reason of being allowed to rest without timely use, action, or demand <a stale affidavit> <a stale debt>

4

: impaired in vigor or effectiveness

— stale·ly \ˈstāl-lē\ adverb

— stale·ness noun

Examples of STALE

1. a room filled with stale smoke
2. <viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms>

Origin of STALE

Middle English, settled, clear (of ale), not fresh, from Anglo-French estale, probably from Middle Dutch stel old (of beer)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to STALE

Synonyms: banal, cliché (also cliche), clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hack, hackney, hackneyed, moth-eaten, musty, obligatory, shopworn, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

Antonyms: fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed

Related Words: twice-told; bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous; canned, cardboard, conventional, cookie-cutter, derivative, imitative, ready-made, tried-and-true, unimaginative, uninspired, unoriginal; normal, ordinary, rote, routine, standard, stock, typical, usual; arid, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monotonous, numbing, old, pedantic, pedestrian, ponderous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, undramatic, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying; old-fashioned, old hat

Near Antonyms: animating, energizing, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating; absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting; atypical, extraordinary, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented, unusual; pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing

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Rhymes with STALE

ail, ale, bail, bale, Bâle, brail, braille, Braille, dale, fail, flail, frail, Gael, gale, Gale, grail, hail, hale, jail, kale, mail, male, nail, pail, pale, quail, Quayle, rail, sail, sale, scale, shale, snail, swale, tael, tail, taille, tale, trail, vail, vale, veil, wail, wale, whale, Yale