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
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
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Recent Examples of stale
The anticipation of a world grown stale, the rot of what America had left behind ever ready to encroach, was of a piece with the puritan hunger for utopia.
—
Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Routine Cleaning for an Upholstered Headboard Establishing a regular cleaning routine for your upholstered headboard will keep it looking its best, and will help to prevent a stale smell from taking over the bedroom.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2025
Many had grown accustomed to the solitude of death row, its stale smell and the frequent rants from inmates in mental health crisis.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Join 1 other in the comments View Comments 2 stale baguettes, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons of paprika
Salt and pepper
Water
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Separate the garlic into cloves and dice finely.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Routine Cleaning for an Upholstered Headboard Establishing a regular cleaning routine for your upholstered headboard will keep it looking its best, and will help to prevent a stale smell from taking over the bedroom.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2025
Many had grown accustomed to the solitude of death row, its stale smell and the frequent rants from inmates in mental health crisis.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Join 1 other in the comments View Comments 2 stale baguettes, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons of paprika
Salt and pepper
Water
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Separate the garlic into cloves and dice finely.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
Belief that your institution is exempt from the hard, functional and often boring parts of the job leads to a slow decline.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Former New College student Katie Helms, 47, got emotional when remembering her old mentor.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
Needless to say, building Hotel Emma out of the old Pearl Brewery was a massive undertaking, and its owner, Silver Ventures, made several sustainable choices during construction.—
Mae Hamilton,
Travel + Leisure,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
Some victims are already tired of fighting this fight.—
Ashley Belanger – May 19,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2025
-
At the end of the tour, people were tired, so most people ended up returning to the hotel and getting lunch afterwards.—
Janet B. Carson,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, all that excitement does get tiring after a while, and the dogs in side B eventually wind down for a brief nap.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
At-home blowouts are hard; even when armed with the right tutorials and top-of-the-line tools, all the maneuvering gets tiring quickly.—
Kylee McGuigan,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet these hackneyed qualities are minor aspects of a production that otherwise can be eye-opening and newly invigorating.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Its baleful guitar and hackneyed vocals make the average doubts shared by everyone who has ever been in love seem generic.—
Will Dukes,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Upgrade Lounge will be open in the mornings from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm ET, and again in the evenings from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET—but weary travelers who miss these windows can still relax in the lounge’s cushy couches and swivel chairs outside of operating hours.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2025
-
Now, the Entity intends to annihilate humanity in four days unless it can be taken offline by a key that accesses a gizmo in the Arctic Sea that connects to a whatsit that Ving Rhames’s weary Luther is attempting to invent from a makeshift hospital bed somewhere in the subway tunnels of London.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Albon asked Williams for information on where Leclerc was likely slow at the restart, looking for a spot to capitalize.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
-
Life has likely felt a bit nebulous and slow for you in the past year, Cancer.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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