pale

noun

\ ˈpāl

Definition of pale

(Entry 1 of 5)

1 archaic : palisade, paling

2a : one of the stakes of a palisade

b : picket sense 1

3a : 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

pale

verb (1)

paled; paling

Definition of pale (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

: to enclose with pales : fence

pale

adjective

paler; palest

Definition of pale (Entry 3 of 5)

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

pale

verb (2)

paled; paling

Definition of pale (Entry 4 of 5)

intransitive verb

: to become pale

transitive verb

: to make pale

pale-

combining form

variants: or paleo-

Definition of pale- (Entry 5 of 5)

1 : involving or dealing with ancient forms or conditions paleobotany

2 : early : primitive : archaic Paleolithic

Other Words from pale Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pale

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Other Words from pale

Adjective

palely \ ˈpāl-lē

\ adverb

paleness \ ˈpāl-nəs

\ noun

palish \ ˈpā-lish

\ adjective

Synonyms & Antonyms for pale

Synonyms: Adjective

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

Antonyms: Adjective

dark, deep, gay, rich

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: Noun

Google, for its part, has poked at this idea as well, specifically to enable the sale of devices that would otherwise be beyond the pale. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Tech Companies Shouldn't Make Us Trust Them, At All," 11 Jan. 2019 The front camera variation will morph you into a pale-faced, ghoulish version of your original self, complete with bloody lips and a killer smoky eye. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Instagram Unveils New Halloween Features," 27 Oct. 2018 This roaming band of Hadza hunter-gatherers, in northern Tanzania, was now accustomed to visits from small tour groups like ours—pale-faced strangers with hats, cameras and water bottles—but our motives remained mysterious to them. — WSJ, "Hunting in Tanzania the Way Our Earliest Ancestors Did," 9 Oct. 2018 His back is sun-kissed with a tan that fades as his hips narrow to dimples and to a pale, taut backside. — Vogue, "Fifty Shades of Grey," 24 Jan. 2019 The The Favourite actress stepped out in a pale pink Louis Vuitton Atelier gown filled with silver beads that were draped in a way that resembled fish scales. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Emma Stone's Nude Golden Globes Dress Has the Internet Stunned," 7 Jan. 2019 But even Saint-Simon’s memoirs pale next to those of the Korean noblewoman Lady Hyegyeong (1735-1816), wife of Crown Prince Sado of the Joseon Dynasty. — Amanda Foreman, WSJ, "The Tradition of Telling All," 30 Nov. 2018 There's what appears to be a super-pale or clear shade, a mauve, a tawny color, a medium tan, a richer brown, a golden champagne, and a coppery bronze. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Kylie Jenner Teases New High Gloss Lip Glosses Launching in November," 31 Oct. 2018 The political logic is simple: Announce something beyond the constitutional and political pale. — Aziz Huq, Vox, "The faulty legal logic behind Trump’s birthright citizenship proposal.," 31 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Those figures pale in comparison with the hundreds of millions of dollars superhero blockbusters rake in. — Benjamin Din, WSJ, "A Renaissance for Documentaries," 2 Sep. 2018 The nervous agitation viewers might feel at all the reckless skateboarding will pale in comparison to their worry over Elliott. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Minding the Gap’ Review: The Perilous Road to Maturity," 16 Aug. 2018 Bake, rotating positions of pans halfway through, until set and dry to touch but pale, about 5 minutes. — Cherry Point, Good Housekeeping, "How to Make Homemade Saltine Crackers," 7 Aug. 2018 Those numbers pale when compared to other border districts that have been doing mass hearings for years. — Elliot Spagat, Houston Chronicle, "California, long a holdout, adopts mass immigration hearings," 9 July 2018 Those numbers pale when compared to other border districts that have been doing mass hearings for years. — Elliot Spagat, Houston Chronicle, "California, long a holdout, adopts mass immigration hearings," 9 July 2018 Those numbers pale when compared to other border districts that have been doing mass hearings for years. — Elliot Spagat, Houston Chronicle, "California, long a holdout, adopts mass immigration hearings," 9 July 2018 Those numbers pale when compared to other border districts that have been doing mass hearings for years. — Elliot Spagat, Houston Chronicle, "California, long a holdout, adopts mass immigration hearings," 9 July 2018 Those numbers pale when compared with other border districts that have been doing mass hearings for years. — Elliot Spagat, BostonGlobe.com, "California, long a holdout, adopts mass immigration hearings," 8 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

According to the Mayo Clinic, the color of normal urine ranges from pale yellow to deep amber. — Amy Capetta, Redbook, "6 Signs of UTI That You'll Hopefully Never Experience," 6 Aug. 2018 The duck is well-done when the juices run pale yellow. — Daniel Neman, sacbee, "Main dishes? Fruit is not forbidden," 26 June 2018 The former is a nice shade of pale yellow, while the latter looks a whole lot like a version of frosé that's actually appropriate to drink in the morning or midday. — Olivia Harrison, refinery29.com, "Here's How To Get Free Frozen Lemonade At Dunkin' Donuts Tomorrow," 20 June 2018 For Harry and Meghan's wedding Kate accessorized with a pale-yellow, floral fascinator and nude pumps. — Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY, "Duchess Kate recycles coat for fourth time at Harry and Meghan's royal wedding," 19 May 2018 The new blooms are pale yellow then fade to pink and finally blue. — OregonLive.com, "How to stop peach leaf curl, transplant tomatoes: Ask an Expert," 21 Apr. 2018 This is a grayish brown bird overall, with a pale-yellow belly and cinnamon edges on the primary wing feathers. — Ernie Cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Ash-throated flycatchers settled in for summer," 19 Apr. 2018 Using the paddle attachment on a mixer, cream the butter until pale yellow in color. — Lauren Delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Ocean Prime Orlando's 10 layer cake a fresh take on carrot cake," 28 Mar. 2018 Purple flowers in her hair, a pale-yellow belted dress on, holding a bouquet of flowers. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "What a Real Wedding in a Virtual Space Says About the Future," 27 Mar. 2018

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.