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 In warmer, staler weather, users can open the offset fly zipper and roll one or both pieces of door fabric open to increase airflow. — New Atlas, 16 Aug. 2026 No one will argue that breathing stale air in a seat that offers 30 inches of leg room counts as a wellness retreat, and the research on how much dedicated tech detoxes actually improve well-being is mixed. — Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Every output the system produces from ambiguous or stale inputs becomes a decision someone makes in good faith on a flawed premise. — Leon Gordon, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman spoke with EW about how to keep the show from growing stale after decades on the air. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
  1. stereotyped
  2. boring
  3. tired
  4. old
  5. hackneyed
  6. tiring
  7. weary
  8. slow
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
  • The boring rosters, the passive-aggressive press conferences, the endless parade of mediocre seasons — cresting and falling with an inexplicable 2021 and 2026 — has been brutal to watch.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The real world is always more boring than sci-fi, but solving this part of the puzzle will still be fascinating and not easy.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • His handicapping merited attention and newsletter sales, but Steele soon tired of tipping his own hand to the oddsmakers in Vegas.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • More and more young people are turning toward low- or no-tech lives, tired of the endless scroll most of us face for hours each day.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • So when the 36-year-old was pronounced dead in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, shock and grief stretched around the world.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics saw its shares jump as much as 629% during its Wednesday market debut in Shanghai—an eye-popping rally that pushed 36-year-old chairman and CEO Wang Xingxing’s net worth to $16 billion.
    — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of old
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
  • Food & Drink You’ll find just two dining venues on the property, The Dining Room (which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and the poolside Palapa Bar, but there’s no chance of tiring of the fare.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • As competition intensifies, Walmart and Kroger are lowering prices across the board to appeal to inflation-weary, cost-conscious consumers.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Within years, the iconoclastic comic was a weary and defeated man — broke, baggy-eyed, and prematurely old.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of weary
Adjective
  • The challenge is that the hydrogen evolution reaction is slower in alkaline environments, increasing the need for catalysts that can deliver high activity without rapidly losing performance.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • As Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet premier and promised new openness with a policy of glasnost, a slow thaw would begin toward free speech, human rights, the release of political dissidents and relaxed restrictions on emigration.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of slow

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 25 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of stale for Spanish Speakers

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