STALE Synonyms: 211 Similar and Opposite Words

stale

adjective

ˈstāl

Definition of stale

as in stereotyped

used or heard so often as to be dull viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest the sequel is basically a stale remake of the first movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stale The team above feels recognisable and familiar and stale, but a new Newcastle is on the way. — Luke Bosher, New York Times, 31 July 2026 The day-old blinis are getting stale, but no matter—a bag of truffle potato chips from the minibar would do very well. — Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2026 The stale odor immediately envelops you, erasing all the pleasant scents of your favorite soap and shampoo. — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 28 July 2026 Rancid oils often develop sharp or stale odors that make foods taste unpleasant. — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for stale

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale

Adjective

Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.

— Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.

— Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Definition of stereotyped

Adjective

Unfortunately, the group offered amazingly little of that over the course of the night, minimizing the bells and whistles during what could be properly dubbed a fairly boring stage show overall.

— Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
In valuing and nurturing a sense of life as the adventure of understanding and demonstrating Love’s allness, what might have previously seemed to be a boring gap in activity becomes a spiritually refreshing pause.

— Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of boring

Adjective

Well, the growing season in the South is a long one, and even the best thrillers get tired, the spillers get leggy, and the fillers sometimes disappear.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026
Replace Cabinet Hardware New drawer pulls, cabinet knobs, and even hinges can make quite the impact on your tired old kitchen cabinets.

— Barbara Bellesi Zito, The Spruce, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of tired

Adjective

Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.

— Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of hackneyed

Adjective

Permanent Marker Removal Trying to scrub permanent marker away is tiring, time-consuming, and often futile without some type of product to loosen the marker.

— Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026
Everything seems tiring and exhausting, especially the simplest, most mundane activities.

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 26 July 2026

Definition of tiring

Adjective

Democrats are pressing for a House ethics probe and weighing new investments behind union ironworker Brian Poindexter, betting scandal-weary voters in Trump-friendly northeast Ohio may be ready for change.

— Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026
The latest data suggests that the path to relief for inflation-weary Americans remains uncertain.

— Brandy Hadley, Fortune, 31 July 2026

Definition of weary

Adjective

Researchers used the device to process time-series data, including signals that contained both rapid and slow changes.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2026
However, there is another, slower and more insidious evacuation taking place, and that is the steady migration from rural areas all around the world to burgeoning cities, which now host more than half the world’s population.

— John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of slow

Browse Nearby Words

stalags

stale

stalemate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stale

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on stale

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gnomic

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes