staler; stalest
1
: tasteless or unpalatable from age : no longer fresh
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
She felt stale in her job.
staleness
noun
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
David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
In Game 1 against Cleveland, when Hart couldn’t hit a jumper and the offense went stale, Landry Shamet was the fifth guy in a closing lineup that spurred one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Very good suddenly feels very stale.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
Elsewhere, a set dressed like the streets of 18th-century Paris for flashback scenes has hay and dirt scattered everywhere, stale bread and limp vegetables in wooden carts, and French Revolution slogans painted on the walls.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
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Adjective
The concept was already mildly stale in 1983; in 2026, jokes about Nate learning to use a toaster or a GPS come off as well past their expiration date, no matter how earnestly dopey a performance Bargatze gives.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
In Game 1 against Cleveland, when Hart couldn’t hit a jumper and the offense went stale, Landry Shamet was the fifth guy in a closing lineup that spurred one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Very good suddenly feels very stale.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
Elsewhere, a set dressed like the streets of 18th-century Paris for flashback scenes has hay and dirt scattered everywhere, stale bread and limp vegetables in wooden carts, and French Revolution slogans painted on the walls.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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