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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of stale
Go ahead and call the classic Opening Day script stale.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Without the long-range fireworks, Villa’s stale attack has been magnified.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
But what was served up were stale, pale sketches that seemed to have been exhumed from some old codger’s book of gags from 19 bloody 50!
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
The bus ride home was hot and smelled of sweat and stale cigarettes.
—Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Without the long-range fireworks, Villa’s stale attack has been magnified.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
But what was served up were stale, pale sketches that seemed to have been exhumed from some old codger’s book of gags from 19 bloody 50!
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
The bus ride home was hot and smelled of sweat and stale cigarettes.
—Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Curry is pure entertainment, and the NBA is a little more boring without him.—
Sports Columnist,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Apr. 2026
-
One does detect in Iran hawks a kind of 'will to destruction' and hatred of boring, civilized diplomacy.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For workers who are tired of their jobs following them home every night, and for businesses that are tired of the burnout, the turnover, and the chaos that comes from not having boundaries, Zenzap is the work chat app that changes everything.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
One still gets tired of the Wednesday rice and fish dish.—
Jeremy O. Harris,
Vanity Fair,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Since 2023, a Sasquatch figure — similar to the one in the old Jack Link’s Beef Jerky ads — has appeared atop the Royals Hall of Fame in left field after Pasquantino reaches base.—
PJ Green
April 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Not yet able to buy an alcoholic drink, Knueppel is only 20 years old.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wise knew that these hackneyed tools would get him nowhere.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few parents can follow the hackneyed wisdom of living in the moment.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Collective processes involve tiring negotiations, frequent conflicts, and disappointing compromises, both internally among the team and with external interlocutors and partners.—
Adam Szymczyk,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This can occasionally become tiring, and the back half of the record is littered with tracks that work better as gay WrestleMania intros than as actual songs.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline topping a multiyear high of $4 a gallon, according to AAA, inflation-weary commuters are having a tough time absorbing the energy shock.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Nike’s recovery was already coming at a tough time as a global trade war dented its efforts to improve profitability and drive sales from inflation-weary shoppers.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Jessica Golden,Jacob Pramuk,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In fact, businesses hired workers at their slowest pace since 2011, excluding the onset of the pandemic in 2020.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The area’s large tourist population contributes a constant volume of unfamiliar drivers to already heavily congested roads, with traffic patterns that shift significantly between peak tourist season and the summer months but never truly slow to manageable levels on the area’s major corridors.—
Anton Lucanus
April 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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