1
as in cliche
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
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Recent Examples of stale
Data is pulled from fragmented sources, often stale or contradictory.
—
Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
The coffee maker doesn’t have a hot plate; that’s to avoid overheating coffee and leaving it stale and gross.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2025
What a stale listing means for buyers and seller
While buyers may want to stay away from listings that have become stale, Finkelstein recommends not counting these properties out of your search just because of how long they've been listed.
—Maddie McGay, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Each company had its own territory, and performers would move between organizations as their characters grew stale with the crowd.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
The coffee maker doesn’t have a hot plate; that’s to avoid overheating coffee and leaving it stale and gross.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2025
What a stale listing means for buyers and seller
While buyers may want to stay away from listings that have become stale, Finkelstein recommends not counting these properties out of your search just because of how long they've been listed.
—Maddie McGay, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Each company had its own territory, and performers would move between organizations as their characters grew stale with the crowd.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
Stick with boring investments to avoid big mistakes from get-rich-quick schemes.—
Jonathan I. Shenkman,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Hosting every summit in a big European city would alleviate much of the pressure to re-invent the wheel every time with respect to hotels, transit, and other boring but essential logistical details.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Successive administrations let the old broadcast arms of American government abroad — Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia — slide into well-meaning obsolescence.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The fast-growing turbine business accounts for two-thirds of his net worth of $2 billion, with the rest mostly from a stake in the legacy company Triveni Engineering & Industries, which Sawhney’s older brother, Tarun, 51, runs as vice chairman and managing director.—
Anu Raghunathan,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The tired belief that Republicans are better at handling the economy simply isn’t true.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Nations like Ghana are tired of being the world’s dumping ground, although Agbofah is not naïve enough to want the containers to just stop arriving.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Superman’s meh international returns can also be understood as reflective of the worldwide audience tiring of Hollywood’s cultural diktats.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
-
With both sets of players tiring, the best chance of the 30-minute period would fall to substitute Salma Paralluelo, who could not divert Batlle’s cross towards goal from four yards out.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
27 July 2025
Adjective
-
Similarly, the billionaire-villain forgery subplot and the insertion of romance into team dynamics came across as forced, hackneyed and unnecessary.—
Karl Moore,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
This hackneyed stance has turned his concert performances shrill and hollow.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Many senior party and military leaders, weary after years of a punishing civil war, were reluctant to go up against the strongest force in the world.—
M. Taylor Fravel,
Foreign Affairs,
18 July 2025
-
There’s no rest for the weary — or in this case, the Florida Panthers.—
Kaitlyn Pohly,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
Burrow hopes that feeling the rush and gaining real reps working the pocket will help lessen the impact of opening-week clunkers that contributed to the team’s slow starts.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 Aug. 2025
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Three organic meats are on offer for Sunday roast: slow roasted Black Angus, with creamed horseradish; succulent Tamworth Pork with bramley apple sauce and Texel Lamb with a classic mint sauce.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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