1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

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

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 To revive stale bread, moisten the crust, wrap in foil, and heat in a 300°F oven for 10–15 minutes. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026 This terror grows familiar but not stale; the reader is allowed to live within it almost calmly and thus catch glimpses of other forces in the darkness. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 But its past horror shows on offense, especially in 2023, continue to brand its reputation as stale, like a piece of chewing gum after 10 minutes. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Go through your spices and assess for flavor, and find new life for those that are stale. — Melissa Breyer, Martha Stewart, 15 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
  • Virtually all those trips involved hassle that was a bore to write about and just as boring to read.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31-7 in a disappointing and boring game.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • The media never tired of describing Sea Change as his great breakup record.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • For those who are tired of such narratives, the appeal of the show will be in its interpretive stagecraft, which is impressive and clever.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • Even on a long, tiring shoot, the cast mostly still finds the energy to celebrate each other.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Swatting at wasps is a bad idea, and simply running from them gets tiring.
    — Nick Perry, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • 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
  • Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of hackneyed
Adjective
  • Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, died at the scene, but their youngest, 8-month-old Callan, was still alive when first responders arrived.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Also on the agenda is Russia's more than four-year-old war in Ukraine.
    — Antoni Slodkowski Reuters, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of old
Adjective
  • The slowest can count roughly 500 bills a minute, or about eight bills a second, while the fastest can count 2,000-plus bills a minute, or about 33-plus bills a second.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Heading south on Highway 395, a must do is slow down and take the June Lake Loop which is a riot of fall colors.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • These short and intentional pauses from your tasks have been clinically proven to offer your weary brain a boost.
    — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Jonathan Tucker as a fledgling FBI profiler, Mark McKinney as the local chief of police, Joe Cobden as the radio station’s head of ad sales and Fred Ewanuick as Tony’s weary brother are other standouts.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of weary

Browse Nearby Words

stalags
stale
stalemate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All