Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

pale

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of pale

1 lacking intensity of color
  • we chose a very pale pink for the walls of the room
Synonyms of pale

dull, dulled, faded, light, pastel, washed-out, washy
Words Related to pale

flat, lackluster, lusterless, matte (also mat)

dim, faint

dirty, muddy

achromatic, colorless, uncolored, undyed, unpainted, unstained

blanched, bleached, washed, white, whitened

gray (also grey), indistinct, neutral
Near Antonyms of pale

bright, brilliant, vibrant, vivid

chromatic, colored, dyed, painted, stained, tinged, tinted

colorful, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, prismatic, rainbow, varicolored, variegated

flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, showy, splashy
Antonyms of pale

dark, deep, gay, rich
2 lacking a healthy skin color
  • after a week with the flu, she was deathly pale and noticeably thinner
Synonyms of pale

ashen, ashy, blanched, cadaverous, doughy, livid, lurid, mealy, paled, pallid, pasty, peaked, wan
Words Related to pale

sallow, sallowish, sick, sickly, waxen, waxy

white, whitened

anemic, bloodless

untanned

whey-faced, white-faced
Near Antonyms of pale

blushing, flushed, pink
Antonyms of pale

blooming, florid, flush, full-blooded, glowing, red, rosy, rubicund, ruddy, sanguine
3 not seen or understood clearly
  • a pale outline off in the distance proved to be someone out for a walk
Synonyms of pale

blear, bleary, blurry, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, gauzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, misty, murky, nebulous, obscure, opaque, shadowy, unclear, undefined, undetermined, vague
Words Related to pale

dark, dusky, gloomy

impalpable, inappreciable, intangible, invisible

hieroglyphic (also hieroglyphical), incomprehensible, indecipherable, indiscernible, inexplicable, mysterious, obfuscatory, puzzling
Near Antonyms of pale

bright, distinct, evident, obvious, plain

certain, firm, strong, sure
Antonyms of pale

clear, definite, pellucid

pale

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of pale

to make white or whiter by removing color
  • the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
Synonyms of pale

blanch, bleach, blench, decolorize, dull, fade, snow, wash out, whiten
Words Related to pale

brighten, lighten

dim, mat (also matte)

etiolate

whitewash

frost, silver
Near Antonyms of pale

blacken

blotch, checker, dapple, daub, discolor, fleck, marble, mottle, pattern, polychrome, shade, speck, speckle, splotch, spot, streak, striate, stripe, tarnish, variegate

color, dye, paint, pigment, stain, tincture, tinge, tint

burnish, polish, shine
Antonyms of pale

darken, deepen, embrown

Learn More about pale

  1. See words that rhyme with pale Dictionary: Definition of pale Medical Dictionary: Definition of 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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up pale? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

purview

Listen to the pronounciation of purview

the range of authority or knowledge

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. catamount Vermont enters the Round of 64

  2. mendacious, mendacity George Conway calls Trump a liar

  3. crawdad New novel makes waves

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games