as in fades
to make white or whiter by removing color
the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
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Recent Examples of pales
Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
And the scale of this pullback still pales next to its 75% collapse during the 2021–2022 bear market.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
And for those who do manage to build a large emergency fund, the balance often pales in comparison to what a common medical procedure could cost, Volk said.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Applebee’s recently managed its first quarter of same-store sales growth after eight consecutive declines, a faint improvement, but one that pales in comparison to the surge at Chili’s or the steady gains at Olive Garden.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
His county’s population has grown by roughly by 32% since 1990, which pales in comparison with statewide growth of 74%.
—Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
And the scale of this pullback still pales next to its 75% collapse during the 2021–2022 bear market.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
And for those who do manage to build a large emergency fund, the balance often pales in comparison to what a common medical procedure could cost, Volk said.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Applebee’s recently managed its first quarter of same-store sales growth after eight consecutive declines, a faint improvement, but one that pales in comparison to the surge at Chili’s or the steady gains at Olive Garden.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pales
Verb
-
Gorman's family said earlier this week that her murder cannot be a case that fades from public attention.—
Lauren Victory,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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As the Labubu frenzy fades, HSBC last month trimmed its revenue growth forecast for Pop Mart this year from around 30% to under 24%, and expects a 11% to 13% cut in 2026-2027 earnings.—
Elaine Yu,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the meantime, police cordoned off the beach area with construction fences to keep a large crowd of onlookers at bay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Rules that require fences of certain heights might make little sense for new reactors buried in the earth; and rules that require a certain number of operators per reactor could be a bad fit for a cluster of smaller reactors with modern controls.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There are even artworks from local Canadian artists on the walls for additional regional flair.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vegan green curry, made with apples, coconut milk and a bit of miso — though more Thai than Japanese in palate — brightens roasted cauliflower ($18).—
Cesar Hernandez,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Mar. 2026
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This serum is packed with 15% vitamin C and a barrier boost complex that brightens, firms and supports collagen.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Federal police chased and targeted people randomly in public places like stores, shopping center parking lets, a church lawn and a country club and at times aimed their weapons at people or threatened them.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Dec. 2025
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The federal government’s permissiveness toward this form of betting lets platforms operate nationwide without following state laws or tax rates—a potentially lucrative proposition that has gained venture capital backing while angering states and tribal groups.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Supporters emphasize election integrity, while opponents warn about potential barriers to participation.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
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Winhusen envisions a future where GLP-1 drugs help with one of the most difficult barriers to successful medical treatment — keeping people in treatment.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Inside the property, police found three bullet holes in a wooden fence covered by tall hedges.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Built in the late 1990s but fully renovated during her tenure, the multilevel white stucco structure is sequestered behind tall gates and hedges and offers six bedrooms and eight bathrooms in roughly 14,100 square feet.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pales. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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