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
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Being the offense’s engine is a completely different (and more challenging) assignment than being an off-ball threat, and while Knueppel might already be the best off-ball player in the league, the value of that role still pales behind that of a big, ballhandling wing.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The team’s turnaround still pales in comparison to what Oklahoma City or San Antonio has done, emerging as title contenders with MVP-caliber players anchoring their lineups.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
While the prevalence of carfentanil still pales in comparison to fentanyl, experts are nevertheless alarmed by the increase of a substance researched for years as a chemical weapon and deployed by Russian forces on Chechen separatists in 2002.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Being the offense’s engine is a completely different (and more challenging) assignment than being an off-ball threat, and while Knueppel might already be the best off-ball player in the league, the value of that role still pales behind that of a big, ballhandling wing.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The team’s turnaround still pales in comparison to what Oklahoma City or San Antonio has done, emerging as title contenders with MVP-caliber players anchoring their lineups.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
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
-
The kind that organizations get judged on long after the applause fades.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Smith Collection | Archive Photos | Getty Images Retail traders stampeded into Allbirds after the troubled shoemaker slapped an artificial intelligence label on its business, a set-up that market history suggests rarely ends well once the initial hype fades.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Use fences and hedges to denote the garden's boundaries.—
Katherine Owen,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Our association is now telling us that the town said the fences were mistakenly allowed to be put too close to the lake.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The way the Met has chosen to deal with this is to toss the Vatican frescoes onto all four walls of a side room via projector.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The interior of the home is finished in tongue-and-groove pine on the walls and ceiling, while the flooring is hardwood.—
Adam Williams
April 19,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lush, vibrant and full of life, California Tropicals instantly brightens any space while adding fresh, feel-good energy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Eye cream brightens eyes and adds moisture back into your delicate skin.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 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
-
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
-
Address a gopher threat proactively through weed control and laying down barriers.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Virtual psychology removes outdated barriers by merging medical scrutiny with convenience, helping individuals move from uncertainty toward greater clarity.—
Lucy Jones
April 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Most homeowners know the basics — mow the lawn, trim the hedges, clean the patio.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The hedges will start unwinding towards the end of the summer, however, potentially pushing higher costs onto fares.—
Shashwat Awasthi,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pales. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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