stale

1 of 4

adjective

ˈstāl 

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

ˈstāl-lē 

adverb

staleness noun

stale

2 of 4

verb (1)

staled; staling

transitive verb

1

: to make stale

2

archaic : to make common : cheapen

intransitive verb

: to become stale

stale

3 of 4

verb (2)

staled; staling

intransitive verb

: urinate

—used chiefly of camels and horses

stale

4 of 4

noun

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• banal
• cliché
• cliche
• clichéd
• cobwebby
• commonplace
• hack
• hackney
• hackneyed
• moth-eaten
• musty
• obligatory
• shopworn
• stereotyped
• threadbare
• timeworn
• tired
• trite
• well-worn

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

Adjective

But the franchise has been languishing, and part of the reason (alongside corporate venality and the prioritization of brand continuation over individual works) is that its shtick has grown stale. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025

Usually, listening to someone repeat themselves and hurt for original banter quickly grows stale. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025

Verb

Storage Tip Avoid refrigerating your homemade bread, which can actually accelerate the staling process and alter the flavor. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025

Stone Fruit Brown Betty Got summer fruit and a few slices of staling sandwich bread? —Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023

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

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

Phrases Containing stale

• go stale

Rhymes for stale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

stale

1 of 2 adjective

ˈstā(ə)l 

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

stalely

ˈstā(ə)l-lē 

adverb

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