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
The witch’s new year calls for a spiritual refresh, which is why Fernando Salinas opts to remove clutter and clear stale energy.
—
Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
He is drawn to homes whose beauty lies buried beneath decades of stale design choices and neglect.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
My grief felt as stale and dry as this summer season.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Is this a safe place to admit my opinion that red carpets have grown a bit stale over the past few seasons, with just a few really memorable looks here and there?
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
He is drawn to homes whose beauty lies buried beneath decades of stale design choices and neglect.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
My grief felt as stale and dry as this summer season.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Is this a safe place to admit my opinion that red carpets have grown a bit stale over the past few seasons, with just a few really memorable looks here and there?
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
Though the pacing and breadth of the episode ensure that things never get boring, not all the stories are equally compelling.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Klum doesn't want to let anyone down by choosing the boring or easy way out with a costume.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Estimates based on a family with two 40-year-old parents with two children, 10 years and 5 years old.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
-
So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Stein conducted experiments under James’s supervision, but quickly tired of studying her subjects’ responses and preferred talking with them and tracking their characters.—
Daphne Merkin,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But Braun was solid before tiring and working through injuries that affected him on the ball over the final month last season.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of a chance to flex their goalscoring muscles, United had to grit their teeth and see out a gruelling, tense, tiring second half.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Unfortunately though, Cooper can’t escape certain hackneyed biopic tropes in representing the songwriting, which are almost impossible to avoid.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And yet, for all my disdain, there's a morbid lovableness to Pattinson's portrayal that manages to disarm the weary cynic that's grown with age.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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But according to the song's very own author, the weary search for reasons is more the point than the restoration of belief.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Tiles also exhibited hysteresis, which was smaller at slower speeds due to the rubber’s viscoelastic properties, as reported by Nanowerk.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Levi, an electrical engineer who founded MicroKits in 2020, has had to raise prices, slow production and pause plans to launch a new product – Banan-a-Synth – that lets kids turn a bunch of bananas into a kind of keyboard.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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