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
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Recent Examples of stale
But over time, my friend told me, the ritual got a bit stale.
—
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
That film rubs off on your clothes and leaves them smelling stale and feeling stiff.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
What’s interesting is the NBA has moved away from some events that either have become stale or manipulated, such as the skills competition giving way at next week’s All-Star Weekend.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Over the course of a single day, the air inside your home becomes stale, laden with particles and allergens.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
That film rubs off on your clothes and leaves them smelling stale and feeling stiff.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
What’s interesting is the NBA has moved away from some events that either have become stale or manipulated, such as the skills competition giving way at next week’s All-Star Weekend.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Over the course of a single day, the air inside your home becomes stale, laden with particles and allergens.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
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
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
The boring lunch ends boringly, with the women sipping their champagne in silence, tucking into their salads, and ignoring the commemorative glasses that no one wanted.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This sounds like a boring event but the boys turn the act of breaking up ice or sleet sheets from the sidewalk into a hockey-like competition.—
Caleb Harris,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While a few icons have grown tired (like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Eden Roc Miami Beach, missing from this list), several have recently poured money into renovations, including the Mayfair House and Gardens; Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, which just reopened; and the Delano Miami.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Bell remembered during the Stars on Ice tour in 2022 when the skaters rolled into a new city, tired, groggy and sore from the long bus ride, Liu, dressed in a baggy hoodie and billowing sweatpants, could go on the ice and throw perfect jumps without warning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The oldest American woman to compete in the women’s singles event in nearly a century now sits in a distant 13th place ahead of the 4-minute free skate on Thursday night.—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lowenthal has spoken highly of Australia’s similar ban, which went into effect in December and bans accounts for all children under 16 years old.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
-
On the first real mission in the jungle region of Fury Green, Samus encounters a Galactic Federation technician named Myles Mackenzie who, from his reveal in the pre-release previews, became a sticking point for fans due to his hackneyed sidekick trappings.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
2 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
It's been a cold, tiring week, but the light at the end of the tunnel that is a Saturday at Ikea picking out lamp shades is finally within sight.—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
6 Feb. 2026
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But studies have also shown that consuming caffeine before a mentally tiring task reduces the feeling of cognitive fatigue.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The hospice is small and modest, run by a group of French nuns, built in 1827 as a respite for weary pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Kraft Heinz, like all big food companies, is also grappling with inflation-weary buyers cutting back spending or switching to generic labels as well as the rise of GLP-1 drugs hurting demand for snack food.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That builds on similar trends throughout 2025, when the industry buoyed an otherwise slow labor market, as the nation’s hospitals, clinics and nursing homes kept hiring even as many employers pulled back.—
Abha Bhattarai,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
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Any type of realism was [limited to] very short clips, everything was very slow, bad textures, no skin textures, lacking detail.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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