pale

noun \ ˈpāl \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: pale in a Sentence

Definition of pale

1 archaic : palisade, paling

2 a : one of the stakes of a palisade

b : picket 1

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

But the hyperbolic and comic hope that a just god might smite the slanderer or brutalizer with a deadly skin disorder is somehow beyond the pale.

— emma stefansky, The Hive, "David Simon Wishes a Plague of Boils on Jack Dorsey After Twitter Suspension," 10 June 2018
While many members of the royal family showed up wearing traditional fascinators in colors like pale pink and deep blue, Eugenie wore a beige curved-brim hat with green leaves on it.

— michelle manetti, Good Housekeeping, "Princess Eugenie Wore the Best Hat and Dress for Trooping the Colour," 9 June 2018
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Chris Jackson—Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wore a striking pale pink Philip Treacy hat that won’t soon be forgotten long after the royal wedding is over.

— cady lang, Time, "The Craziest, Most British Hats Guests Wore to the Royal Wedding," 19 May 2018
Transfer to the oven; bake (middle rack) for 25 to 30 minutes or until the sugar takes on the barest of color (a pale, wheatlike hue); watch closely to make sure the sugar doesn't start to melt.

— charlotte druckman, sacbee, "In a churn of events, salted butter is back | The Sacramento Bee," 8 May 2018
Some of my personal favorites: a matte pale pink called Total Betty, a shimmering turquoise called Way Harsh, and a multi-tonal glitter called Oops, My Bad!

— marci robin, Allure, "Indie Makeup Brand Peachy Queen Is Launching a Clueless-Inspired Eye Shadow Palette," 24 Apr. 2018
He’s worn tie-dye sharks with not-exactly-fashion pale jeans.

— liz raiss, GQ, "Jonah Hill Has Gone Full Tie-Dye," 1 June 2018
Even if your collection and construction budget pale in comparison to those of Eli Broad, a private museum—designed by a bona-fide starchitect—may be within reach.

— mark ellwood, WSJ, "Your Own Private, Prefab Museum. Just Add Art," 24 May 2018
Appearing to channel the English royalty's penchant for pastels (who owns a powdery pale suit, after all, better than the Queen?), the Quantico actress put an entirely new spin on a classic.

— jenna rennert, Vogue, "How Priyanka Chopra Turned Royal Wedding Day Makeup on Its Head," 19 May 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.

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

All of Salah's awards will pale into insignificance compared to the Champions League, which Liverpool could win for the first time since 2005.

— SI.com, "Mohamed Salah Named Premier League Player of the Season," 13 May 2018
Rosenstein's controversial part in the Comey firing would pale in comparison to the role he could be forced to play in another possible firing at the Department of Justice: that of special counsel Robert Mueller.

— gloria borger, CNN, "Rod Rosenstein maintains a 'strange calm' under fire from Congress, White House," 10 May 2018
That figure may pale, however, compared with the losses Starbucks could have suffered had there been a nationwide boycott as many advocated.

— dahleen glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Philadelphia and Starbucks settlements were a smart move, but when is settling not enough?," 5 May 2018
Without a legal framework in the U.S., the consequences of failing to protect the privacy of American citizens will likely pale in comparison to the consequences of similar failures that take place in the EU.

— mike chapple, Fortune, "Commentary: How to Really Protect Your Digital Privacy: Move to Europe," 17 Apr. 2018
Physalis ixocarpa is commonly sold in markets and has large (up to 2 ½-inch-diameter) tart green fruits, which ripen to pale yellow.

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "Your Guide To Growing The Biggest Tomatillos North Of Mexico," 22 Mar. 2017
The All-Star Game and NBA playoffs might pale in comparison to what is ahead in Ljubljana.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Goran Dragic faces uncertainty beyond adulation in Slovenia," 3 May 2018
Even the grandest Prussian manor house can pale beside a hillside villa in Dresden, By the late 19th century, large, fanciful villas began to spring up on former wine terraces above the Elbe River.

— j.s. marcus, WSJ, "Eastern Germany’s Luxury Resurgence," 25 Apr. 2018
McNeil’s career might pale in comparison to Taylor’s, but McNeil embodies the baseline expectation for a player taken in the top three: a long-term starter, a foundational talent.

— ben shpigel, New York Times, "Jets and Giants Share Something Else: High Stakes at the Draft," 24 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of pale

see ¹pale

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

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

Few desserts are as refreshing as the viola and rue sorbet with its pale lavender color and its garnish of sunflower butter, candied kumquats and granola.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "The Perennial makes environmental activism taste good," 25 May 2018
Martin then paired long lashes, dark liner, and a neutral daytime smoky eye with a pale pink lip.

— refinery29.com, "Meghan Markle’s Wedding Look Was True To Her Style — & Still Followed The Rules," 19 May 2018
Santa Rosa 5 percent alcohol, Armada, Mich. (500-milliliter bottle) Blake’s ferments this limited-edition cider with Santa Rosa plum skins for a pretty pale color.

— lisa futterman, chicagotribune.com, "Catching the rosé cider buzz, with a tasting of our favorites," 17 May 2018
Gomez wore her hair in a loose updo in keeping with the light-as-air look, with glowing skin, a super pale lip and gilded eye makeup.

— harper's bazaar staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "Selena Gomez's Met Gala Dress is Nightgown Inspired," 8 May 2018
German pilsners give off a pale gold color and crisp flavor, while Czech pilsners are a little darker with higher bitterness.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "How to Talk About Beer Like a Pro on National Beer Day," 7 Apr. 2018
After lightening, her client's hair was left with a pale yellow blonde color.

— devon abelman, Allure, "The "Baby White" Hair-Color Trend Is So Blonde, It's Practically Translucent," 30 Mar. 2018
The artist finished this specific look with pale blue lacquer and small rhinestones, but those are just extras to an already extra look.

— lauren adhav, Cosmopolitan, "Corkscrew Nails Are the Look You Need for Your Next Wine Night," 14 Mar. 2018
Yet as the novel advances, and this street stud pose starts splintering, the voice itself gathers a kind of dorky poignancy, the reader sensing an unseen wobble upon Green’s stiff, pale lip.

— jonathan miles, New York Times, "Bridging the Racial Divide in a Middle School Friendship," 15 Jan. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pale Synonyms

pale

verb

Definition of pale

paled; paling

intransitive verb

: to become pale

transitive verb

: to make pale

First Known Use of pale

14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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

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

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

Definition of pale

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pale

pale

Definition of pale

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pale

pale

Definition of pale

palely

paleness

palish

Examples of pale in a Sentence

Recent Examples of pale from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pale

pale Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

pale

Definition of pale

First Known Use of pale

pale-

Definition of pale-

Origin and Etymology of pale-

Phrases Related to PALE

Related Phrases

PALE Defined for English Language Learners

pale

Definition of pale for English Language Learners

PALE Defined for Kids

pale

Definition of pale for Students

paleness

pale

Definition of pale for Students

Medical Dictionary

pale

medical Definition of pale

paleness

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