stale

adjective

ˈstāl How to pronounce stale (audio)
Definition of stalenext
1
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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 schedule became stale, and NASCAR waited a long time to ever even tweak it. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 If the shags, layers, and face-framing of 2025 are starting to feel stale, a straightforward one-length reset may be in order. — Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Oct. 2026 These shabby little movie houses, tucked away in the back alleys of Shinjuku, smelled of urine and stale tobacco. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 In Primetime, Predator breaks protocol in a misguided attempt to keep the show from getting stale. — Samantha Bergeson, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
  1. stereotyped
  2. boring
  3. tired
  4. tiring
  5. hackneyed
  6. old
  7. slow
  8. weary
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
  • Infrastructure inspection is exactly the kind of boring but highly practical application that modern airships excel at, Grossman says.
    — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Milwaukee Brewers won what was, ultimately, a bit of a boring World Series in five games.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • On Housewives, story lines grow tired and repetitive, and attempts to shake up the dynamics inevitably fall flat as the show reverts back to a familiar staleness.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Even Trump’s biggest supporters are growing tired of the high prices that his war has caused.
    — Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • Tommy Gemmell, advanced from left-back, provided the equaliser on 63 minutes and with Inter tiring and Celtic still pushing, Chalmers scored the famous winner with six minutes left.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But after a while, the lack of grounding gets tiring, as various supernatural shenanigans appear to be determined more by plot convenience than anything else.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • The hackneyed ruminations on feminine style are punctured by an image of violent female rage.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • There’s some hackneyed dialogue, much of it borne by Neeson, who despite his prominence in advertising gets sidelined for most of the running time.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of hackneyed
Adjective
  • This old Southern home on a barrier island is a four-story frame structure decorated with antiques, Asian rugs, and Tiffany lamps.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2026
  • More photos, this time of our 12-year-old playing with a cat in our house.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of old
Adjective
  • The course of Alzheimer’s disease is slightly slower than that of Lewy body dementia, according to Vossel.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The team found that slower charging helped create more uniform, inorganic-rich protective layers, which are important for maintaining stable battery performance.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • All of the supporting characters are shrewdly cast and realized, whether Aiello’s nervous but persistent promoter or the superb Meredith’s weary, knowing cornerman.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But rather than spread panic, the fake messages appear to have had little impact on war-weary civilians – and instead began to generate some imaginative memes.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of weary

Browse Nearby Words

stalags
stale
stalemate
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Cite this Entry

“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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