as in mustiness
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Recent Examples of staleness
And, yet, there is a tangible sense of staleness, even with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro the only remaining players from the Heat’s 2020 run to the NBA Finals and those two plus Dru Smith and Nikola Jovic the lone remaining players from the 2023 run to the NBA Finals.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
The smart shopper will already note signs of staleness and mold in the old practice of a singer in stiff white tie and tails or gaudy gown, standing, arm propped on piano, of the second banana accompanist.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Consider this a magical opportunity to escape the staleness of fall.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Coach Billy Napier’s team blended play-calling staleness, horrendous clock management, defensive containment issues and overall immaturity.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
The smart shopper will already note signs of staleness and mold in the old practice of a singer in stiff white tie and tails or gaudy gown, standing, arm propped on piano, of the second banana accompanist.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Consider this a magical opportunity to escape the staleness of fall.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
Coach Billy Napier’s team blended play-calling staleness, horrendous clock management, defensive containment issues and overall immaturity.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staleness
Noun
-
With their high linen content, the sheets exuded no mustiness, only the faint sweet smell of aged paper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The film, which screenwriter Rowan Joffé adapted from a 2014 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, seems aware of the orientalist mustiness of this premise without being compelled to subvert it in any meaningful way.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The stench of death in Sinjar was so overpowering that Holland had to stop talking on camera.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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The whiff stench of insider trading is unmistakable.—
Nic Puckrin,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bambaataa’s funk ethos inspired a dizzying number of projects.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2026
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They’ve been defeated decisively in their past three games and their special teams have been atrocious across the span of their funk, killing just two thirds of their penalties and converting on only 8% of power-play opportunities.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
It reeks of anti-Blackness, the idea that Ciara—a nurse, a model, a catch in all respects of the word—could be seen as just an experience to these men.—
Erica Campbell,
Glamour,
2 Apr. 2026
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Does your laundry room smell like mildew or reek of stinky socks?—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staleness. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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