staler; stalest
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
staleness
noun
staled; staling
: to become stale
: urine of a domestic animal (such as a horse)
Synonyms
Examples of stale in a Sentence
Adjective
a room filled with stale smoke
viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms
Recent Examples on the Web
Claudia De Brito, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2023
Organized like an encyclopedia, with likely leftover ingredients ranging from potato chip crumbs to stale doughnuts to scallions, this clever tome contains around 1,500 recipes.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
The show’s establishing beats are its most stale, which makes sense given the textbook coming-of-age premise.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2023
When making cornbread dressing, fresh or stale cornbread can be used.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2023
Speakers may have a shelf life of only a handful of years before their book gets old and the topic seems stale.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Find it on Amazon Stop Your Snacks From Going Stale With This Bag Sealer
There’s not much worse than stale chips.
—Samantha Booth, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023
Others might find something a bit stale in its portrait of racial suspicion and environmental catastrophe.
—Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2023
Another clever way to cut down on meat consumption and make the most of stale bread is with the meatless meatballs: pallotte cacio e uova.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023
Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023
Blinkie’s Donut Emporium, owned by a Cambodian American father-daughter duo, offers handmade donuts daily, always closing at noon so their selection never stales.
—Theo Stroomer, National Geographic, 5 June 2019
The product has staled compared to the previous standards.
—Mac Engel, star-telegram, 27 Jan. 2018
Set collection is a particularly satisfying mechanism but one that stales easily; Fabled Fruit tweaks the formula in every game to bypass that problem.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2017
Petty theft, Clifton Boulevard: Police were called to CVS Pharmacy about 2 a.m. Oct. 12 on a report of a man staling body wash items and leaving in a car.
—Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com, 22 Oct. 2017
While the bread is staling, combine blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan over low heat.
—Robin Mather, Detroit Free Press, 8 July 2017
Time may have withered her, to misquote Shakespeare, but custom will never stale this mother’s infinite, and exasperating, variety.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2016
Theo Stroomer, National Geographic, 5 June 2019
The product has staled compared to the previous standards.
—Mac Engel, star-telegram, 27 Jan. 2018
Set collection is a particularly satisfying mechanism but one that stales easily; Fabled Fruit tweaks the formula in every game to bypass that problem.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2017
Petty theft, Clifton Boulevard: Police were called to CVS Pharmacy about 2 a.m. Oct. 12 on a report of a man staling body wash items and leaving in a car.
—Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com, 22 Oct. 2017
Yec, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
Is the information being presented by the F.B.I. to the court stale?
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022
But Vikings players and fans ask: How exactly will this 2022 outfit differ from its previous edition that some called stale and insufficiently aggressive?
—Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 1 June 2022
That would be almond croissants, in which a nut paste is spread and baked into stale or day-old pastries.
—Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2021
Danielle escapes to the buffet to finger stale-looking pastries, sandwiches filled with mayonnaise-y salads, gloopy pasta.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2021
The first bite crunched into the burger’s onion rings and thick pretzel bun, which was a cut above Wendy’s usual signature, stale-to-the-touch buns.
—Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, 10 Nov. 2020
As the supply of equities shrinks, developed nations from the U.S. to Japan are turning stale.
—Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019
Did McCarthy’s offense get stale in Green Bay at the end?
—Dallas News, 14 Jan. 2020
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Adjective
Jun's Jun’s Bursting onto the Boulevard in Dubai’s Downtown district, chef Kelvin Cheng’s Jun’s has wasted no time in making a name for itself, breathing new life into what was becoming a somewhat stale part of the city.
—Claudia De Brito, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2023
Organized like an encyclopedia, with likely leftover ingredients ranging from potato chip crumbs to stale doughnuts to scallions, this clever tome contains around 1,500 recipes.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
The show’s establishing beats are its most stale, which makes sense given the textbook coming-of-age premise.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2023
When making cornbread dressing, fresh or stale cornbread can be used.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2023
Speakers may have a shelf life of only a handful of years before their book gets old and the topic seems stale.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Find it on Amazon Stop Your Snacks From Going Stale With This Bag Sealer
There’s not much worse than stale chips.
—Samantha Booth, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023
Others might find something a bit stale in its portrait of racial suspicion and environmental catastrophe.
—Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2023
Another clever way to cut down on meat consumption and make the most of stale bread is with the meatless meatballs: pallotte cacio e uova.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023
Verb
Stone Fruit Brown Betty Got summer fruit and a few slices of staling sandwich bread?
—Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023
Blinkie’s Donut Emporium, owned by a Cambodian American father-daughter duo, offers handmade donuts daily, always closing at noon so their selection never stales.
—Theo Stroomer, National Geographic, 5 June 2019
The product has staled compared to the previous standards.
—Mac Engel, star-telegram, 27 Jan. 2018
Set collection is a particularly satisfying mechanism but one that stales easily; Fabled Fruit tweaks the formula in every game to bypass that problem.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2017
Petty theft, Clifton Boulevard: Police were called to CVS Pharmacy about 2 a.m. Oct. 12 on a report of a man staling body wash items and leaving in a car.
—Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com, 22 Oct. 2017
While the bread is staling, combine blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan over low heat.
—Robin Mather, Detroit Free Press, 8 July 2017
Time may have withered her, to misquote Shakespeare, but custom will never stale this mother’s infinite, and exasperating, variety.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2016
Verb
Blinkie’s Donut Emporium, owned by a Cambodian American father-daughter duo, offers handmade donuts daily, always closing at noon so their selection never stales.
—Theo Stroomer, National Geographic, 5 June 2019
The product has staled compared to the previous standards.
—Mac Engel, star-telegram, 27 Jan. 2018
Set collection is a particularly satisfying mechanism but one that stales easily; Fabled Fruit tweaks the formula in every game to bypass that problem.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2017
Petty theft, Clifton Boulevard: Police were called to CVS Pharmacy about 2 a.m. Oct. 12 on a report of a man staling body wash items and leaving in a car.
—Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com, 22 Oct. 2017
Noun
One trait of stale and out-of-touch leadership teams is a disconnect between seniority levels.
—Yec, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023
Is the information being presented by the F.B.I. to the court stale?
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022
But Vikings players and fans ask: How exactly will this 2022 outfit differ from its previous edition that some called stale and insufficiently aggressive?
—Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 1 June 2022
That would be almond croissants, in which a nut paste is spread and baked into stale or day-old pastries.
—Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2021
Danielle escapes to the buffet to finger stale-looking pastries, sandwiches filled with mayonnaise-y salads, gloopy pasta.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2021
The first bite crunched into the burger’s onion rings and thick pretzel bun, which was a cut above Wendy’s usual signature, stale-to-the-touch buns.
—Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, 10 Nov. 2020
As the supply of equities shrinks, developed nations from the U.S. to Japan are turning stale.
—Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019
Did McCarthy’s offense get stale in Green Bay at the end?
—Dallas News, 14 Jan. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stale.' 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, settled, clear (of ale), not fresh, from Anglo-French estale, probably from Middle Dutch stel old (of beer)
Verb (2)
Middle English; akin to Middle Low German stallen to urinate, stal urine of horses
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Verb (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1548, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of stale was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing stale
Dictionary Entries Near stale
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
stale
1 of 2 adjective
staler; stalest
1
: having lost a good taste or quality from age
stale food
2
: used or heard so often as to be dull
stale news
3
: not so strong, effective, or energetic as before
felt stale from lack of exercise
staleness
noun
stale
2 of 2 verb
staled; staling
: to make or become stale
Legal Definition
stale
adjective
: impaired in legal effect or force by reason of not being used, acted upon, or demanded in a timely fashion
a search warrant based on stale information
a stale claim
More from Merriam-Webster on stale
Nglish: Translation of stale for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stale for Arabic Speakers
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