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
-
As Henry’s memory fades, Caroline must navigate the unimaginable journey of losing her lifelong partner while finding strength in a new friendship.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Miami outscored Brooklyn 33-23 in the final period, the kind of quarter where the floor opens up, rotations soften and playmaking becomes easier as competitiveness fades down the stretch.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pool fences and covers Pool fences and secure covers create a critical barrier around the water, helping prevent unsupervised access and giving parents an extra layer of protection when the pool isn’t in use.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Dense hedges and fences can intercept weed seeds and keep them from entering your yard.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 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
-
Regular agreements become supportive containers rather than constrictive walls.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Train it above doorways and windows and against walls.—
Zoe Gowen,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nothing brightens a garden like the presence of birds and other wildlife, so invite them in.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Your 5th House of Discovery brightens as mischievous Mercury conjoins the life-giving Sun.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
7 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
-
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
-
That definition came to encompass places like neighborhood coffee shops, libraries, bars and more, where people from different backgrounds came together in an informal setting with relatively low barriers to access.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Part of that surplus went toward the creation of the LA84 Foundation, which promotes youth sports by removing barriers and aiming to give all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background or ability, opportunities to participate in sports.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dense hedges and fences can intercept weed seeds and keep them from entering your yard.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Arborvitae is commonly used to mark borders, privacy screens, hedges, and landscaping.—
Jamie McIntosh,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pales. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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