pale

play

noun \ ˈpāl \

Definition of pale

1 archaic :palisade, paling

2 a :one of the stakes of a palisade

b :picket

3 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.

4 :an area or the limits within which one is privileged or protected (as from censure)

conduct that was beyond the pale

5 :a perpendicular stripe on a heraldic shield

See pale defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

While Google has said the company respects freedom of expression, leadership have argued that Damore’s views were beyond the pale.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Fired Engineer Claims Google Is Conducting a Witch Hunt," 10 Aug. 2017
New reports in the Washington Post and New York Times are clear signals that Trump is contemplating steps – firing Mueller or issuing mass pardons – that would seem to go beyond the pale.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Is Mobilizing for War Against the Rule of Law," 20 July 2017
There’s widespread agreement that some requested data points, especially Social Security numbers, are beyond the pale.

— emily mccormick, Bloomberg.com, "A Guide to Trump’s ‘Election Integrity’ Commission," 13 July 2017
His flat palm made contact with my small pale back.

— jessica berger gross, Longreads, "My Parents Said I Bruised Easily," 11 July 2017
Lindros suffered a collapsed lung in a game at Nashville on April 1, 1999, and was rushed to the hospital after roommate Keith Jones found him in a bathtub looking pale.

— ed barkowitz, Philly.com, "88 things about Flyers great Eric Lindros," 30 June 2017
The sneaks in question are your classic white, high-top Air Force 1s, but these are bedazzled with shimmering sequins in pale pink and turquoise shades.

— sophie hirsh, Teen Vogue, "Nike Releases Sequined Unicorn Air Force 1s," 29 June 2017
Seizures of fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border pale in comparison with cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine and marijuana.

— sandra dibble, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fentanyl seizures, deaths, raise alarm in San Diego," 27 June 2017
Bryce Harper has a career WAR of 24.2 (both pale in comparison to Mike Trout, he of the otherworldly 51.9 WAR).

— jeremy fuchs, SI.com, "Three Strikes: Rare sweep in Cleveland thrusts Twins back atop AL Central," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pale

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

pale

verb

Definition of pale

paled; paling

transitive verb

:to enclose with pales :fence

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

But those coups pale beside the latest astounding gambit.

— shawn tully, Fortune, "Google Is Expanding Its Public Wi-Fi Program to a Second Country in Asia," 25 Aug. 2017
To be fair, the company’s overall results are actually pretty good for retail right now ... but do pale in comparison to Home Depot.

— katherine peralta, charlotteobserver, "Still chasing Home Depot: Lowe’s disappoints again despite housing market gains," 23 Aug. 2017
Whatever blowback Long gets will pale to what his black teammates have already endured in trying to raise consciousness –

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Stick to sports, huh? Athletes can’t be muzzled in midst of civil unrest," 20 Aug. 2017
But with Congressional committees at work and with Mueller bulking up his staff at the Justice Department, questions of patriotism may pale beside questions of legal and political jeopardy.

— david von drehle, Time, "How Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family," 13 July 2017
But with Congressional committees at work and with Mueller bulking up his staff at the Justice Department, questions of patriotism may pale beside questions of legal and political jeopardy.

— david von drehle, PEOPLE.com, "How Donald Trump Jr.’s Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family," 13 July 2017
But these gains might well pale in comparison to what such households stand to lose from an underfunded federal government.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Tax Plan Would Be Bad for Those Who Don’t Own Yachts, Study Basically Finds," 12 July 2017
The article also highlights Walker's favorite meal – a brown bag lunch containing a ham and cheese sandwich, which might pale in comparison to artsy foodie Instagram accounts.

— jordyn noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker offers Miller Lite to those who accuse him of being boring," 6 July 2017
The full reports won’t be available until early July, but the fundraising is sure to pale in comparison to the unprecedented spending in Georgia’s 6th District race.

— greg bluestein, ajc, "Georgia 2018: Hunter Hill sets a $1M bar in gov race," 29 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of pale

see ¹pale

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pale

adjective

Definition of pale

paler; palest

1 :deficient in color or intensity of color :pallid

a pale complexion

2 :not bright or brilliant :dim

a pale sun shining through the fog

3 :feeble, faint

a pale imitation

4 :deficient in chroma

a pale pink

—

palely

play \ˈpāl-lē\ adverb

—

paleness

play \ˈpāl-nəs\ noun

—

palish

play \ˈpā-lish\ adjective

See pale defined for English-language learners

See pale defined for kids

Examples of pale in a Sentence

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 of pale from the Web

Then the Bolognese is before me, a skein of pasta barely glazed with pale sauce of remarkable subtlety.

— patric kuh, Los Angeles Magazine, "What Makes the Bolognese Sauce at Rossoblu So Good?," 30 Aug. 2017
Trust a country with a predominance of pale people to make the most believable self-tanner.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "Buy These 9 Beauty Products on Sale Now, and Make Summer Last a Little Longer," 30 Aug. 2017
The store's interior will feature white cabinets with pale teal and brown grass cloth on the walls and ceiling.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "More frozen treats, clothing store options arriving in Naperville," 26 Aug. 2017
The tall, thin student appeared pale and said nothing during his brief court appearance, wearing blue police forensic overalls, handcuffs and socks without shoes.

— Washington Post, "Student charged with assaulting 4 at Australian university," 25 Aug. 2017
Add onion and pepper and sauté until pale golden and soft, 7 minutes.

— melissa clark, idahostatesman, "Corn is in season; use it in this meal with shrimp," 25 Aug. 2017
De Koninck’s pale ale was a delight in the small museum in the medieval brewers’ house on Brussels’ Grand Place.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "If it's Tuesday, this must be a Belgian ale: beer-stained notes from a European vacation," 22 Aug. 2017
Why did millions travel to the path of totality for less than three minutes of pale dusk on a blazing hot Monday afternoon?

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "In the path of totality, eclipse in Hopkinsville touches many 'deep down on a soul level'," 21 Aug. 2017
After a moment of quiet, Kevin crushed the cigarette and turned into their tiny square in the shelter, rooms wrapped in pale yellow walls and vinyl floors that never felt clean.

— alden woods, azcentral, "$200 from home: Renters in the housing crisis are often stuck between help and affordability," 17 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of pale

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pallidus, from pallēre to be pale — more at fallow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pale Synonyms

Synonyms

dull, dulled, faded, light, pastel, washed-out, washy

Antonyms

dark, deep, gay, rich

Related Words

flat, lackluster, lusterless, matte (also mat or matt); dim, faint; dirty, muddy; achromatic, colorless, uncolored, undyed, unpainted, unstained; blanched, bleached, washed, white, whitened; gray (also grey), indistinct, neutral

Near Antonyms

bright, brilliant, vibrant, vivid; chromatic, colored, dyed, painted, stained, tinged, tinted; colorful, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, prismatic, rainbow, varicolored, variegated; flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, showy, splashy

pale

verb

Definition of pale

paled; paling

intransitive verb

:to become pale

transitive verb

:to make pale

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

But those coups pale beside the latest astounding gambit.

— shawn tully, Fortune, "Google Is Expanding Its Public Wi-Fi Program to a Second Country in Asia," 25 Aug. 2017
To be fair, the company’s overall results are actually pretty good for retail right now ... but do pale in comparison to Home Depot.

— katherine peralta, charlotteobserver, "Still chasing Home Depot: Lowe’s disappoints again despite housing market gains," 23 Aug. 2017
Whatever blowback Long gets will pale to what his black teammates have already endured in trying to raise consciousness –

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Stick to sports, huh? Athletes can’t be muzzled in midst of civil unrest," 20 Aug. 2017
But with Congressional committees at work and with Mueller bulking up his staff at the Justice Department, questions of patriotism may pale beside questions of legal and political jeopardy.

— david von drehle, Time, "How Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family," 13 July 2017
But with Congressional committees at work and with Mueller bulking up his staff at the Justice Department, questions of patriotism may pale beside questions of legal and political jeopardy.

— david von drehle, PEOPLE.com, "How Donald Trump Jr.’s Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family," 13 July 2017
But these gains might well pale in comparison to what such households stand to lose from an underfunded federal government.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Tax Plan Would Be Bad for Those Who Don’t Own Yachts, Study Basically Finds," 12 July 2017
The article also highlights Walker's favorite meal – a brown bag lunch containing a ham and cheese sandwich, which might pale in comparison to artsy foodie Instagram accounts.

— jordyn noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker offers Miller Lite to those who accuse him of being boring," 6 July 2017
The full reports won’t be available until early July, but the fundraising is sure to pale in comparison to the unprecedented spending in Georgia’s 6th District race.

— greg bluestein, ajc, "Georgia 2018: Hunter Hill sets a $1M bar in gov race," 29 June 2017

First Known Use of pale

14th century

pale-

combining form

variants: or paleo-

Definition of pale-

1 :involving or dealing with ancient forms or conditions

paleobotany

2 :early :primitive :archaic

Paleolithic

Origin and Etymology of pale-

Greek palai-, palaio- ancient, from palaios, from palai long ago; probably akin to Greek tēle far off, Sanskrit carama last

PALE Defined for English Language Learners

pale

adjective

Definition of pale for English Language Learners

: light in color
: having a skin color that is closer to white than is usual or normal
of light : not bright or intense

PALE Defined for Kids

pale

play

adjective \ ˈpāl \

Definition of pale for Students

paler; palest

1 :having very light skin

2 :having a lighter skin color than normal because of sickness or fear

3 :not bright or brilliant

a pale star

4 :light in color or shade

pale pink

—

paleness

noun

pale

verb

Definition of pale for Students

paled; paling

1 :to lose color She paled when the wound was described to her.

2 :to make or become less adequate, impressive, or intense

My science project paled in comparison to those of the other students.

Medical Dictionary

pale

play

adjective \ ˈpā(ə)l \

medical Definition of pale

paler; palest

:deficient in color or intensity of color

a pale face

—

paleness

play \-nəs\ noun

Learn More about pale

See words that rhyme with pale Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pale Spanish Central: Translation of pale Nglish: Translation of pale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pale for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pale

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pale

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palely

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palish

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pale

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pale-

Definition of pale-

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PALE Defined for English Language Learners

pale

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pale

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pale

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pale

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paleness

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