stale

play

adjective \ ˈstāl \

Definition of stale

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

—

stalely

play \ˈstāl-lē\ adverb

—

staleness

noun

See stale defined for English-language learners

See stale defined for kids

Examples of stale in a Sentence

a room filled with stale smoke
viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms

Recent Examples of stale from the Web

That entire Heat narrative regarding Durant, Hayward, James has grown stale.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Winderman: Kyrie Irving bidding became too rich for Heat | Commentary," 22 Aug. 2017
Styling The look of BMW’s sedans may have become somewhat stale, but the 8-series concept BMW unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como this year might portend an awakening in the Werke’s design studios.

— jens meiners, Car and Driver, "BMW 8-Series Concept Dissected: Styling, Powertrain, Pricing, and More!," 26 July 2017
Cincinnati went the first-timer route, picking Ohio State assistant Luke Fickell to restore a program that went stale under Tommy Tuberville.

— michael democker, NOLA.com, "Tulane football prospect camp: photo gallery," 21 July 2017
For most of the quarter, Microsoft was continuing to sell some old, rather stale systems; the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop were only available for two weeks of the period.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Microsoft 4Q17: Office 365 revenue surpasses traditional licenses," 21 July 2017
That in itself could embolden Mirotic to push for a bigger deal than his play would otherwise command, adding some tension to an otherwise stale negotiating period.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "2017 NBA Free Agency: What's Left To Sort Out?," 20 July 2017
But when the entire performance resembles an audition for an off-Broadway skit, the novelty act quickly grows stale.

— greg kot and bob gendron, chicagotribune.com, "Pitchfork day 3: Colin Stetson borders on superhuman," 16 July 2017
The company recently announced the launch of several new house brands to replace older ones that had grown stale.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Target Says Business Is Picking Up, Defying Doomsday Sayers," 13 July 2017
Lay the slices out on a rimmed baking sheet and leave them at room temperature to get a little stale, about 2 hours.

— robin mather, Detroit Free Press, "Icebox desserts worth the chill," 8 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of stale

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

stale Synonyms

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

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

stale

verb

Definition of stale

staled; staling

transitive verb

1 :to make stale

2 archaic :to make common :cheapen

intransitive verb

:to become stale

Recent Examples of stale from the Web

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, "Icebox desserts worth the chill," 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, "Review: ‘Our Mother’s Brief Affair,’ a Play About Unmoored Lives," 20 Jan. 2016

First Known Use of stale

1599

stale

verb

Definition of stale

staled; staling

intransitive verb

:urinate —used chiefly of camels and horses

Recent Examples of stale from the Web

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, "Icebox desserts worth the chill," 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, "Review: ‘Our Mother’s Brief Affair,’ a Play About Unmoored Lives," 20 Jan. 2016

Origin and Etymology of stale

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German stallen to urinate, stal urine of horses

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

stale

noun

Definition of stale

:urine of a domestic animal (such as a horse)

Recent Examples of stale from the Web

But keeping the festival world-class and fresh, year after year, is a challenge, and some critics have warned that Lincoln Center’s was growing stale.

— michael cooper, New York Times, "Tastemaker Wanted: Lincoln Center Festival Director to Step Down," 28 June 2017
Blackhawks looking stale: Has this group run out of magic?

— kevin allen, USA TODAY, "Six first-round NHL playoff surprises: Maple Leafs are closer than we thought," 25 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of stale

1548

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

STALE Defined for English Language Learners

stale

play

adjective

Definition of stale for English Language Learners

of food : no longer good or appealing : no longer fresh
: not clean, clear, or pure : having an unpleasant taste or smell
: not interesting or new : boring or unoriginal

STALE Defined for Kids

stale

play

adjective \ ˈstāl \

Definition of stale for Students

staler; stalest

1 :having lost a good taste or quality through age

stale bread

2 :used or heard so often as to be dull

stale jokes

3 :not so strong, energetic, or effective as before

He felt stale in his job.

Law Dictionary

stale

adjective

legal Definition of stale

: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

Learn More about stale

See words that rhyme with stale Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stale Spanish Central: Translation of stale Nglish: Translation of stale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stale for Arabic speakers

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stale

Definition of stale

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stale

Definition of stale

Recent Examples of stale from the Web

Origin and Etymology of stale

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

stale

Definition of stale

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First Known Use of stale

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

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STALE Defined for English Language Learners

stale

Definition of stale for English Language Learners

STALE Defined for Kids

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Law Dictionary

stale

legal Definition of stale

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