Word forms: comparative staler, superlative stalest
1. adjective
Stale food is no longer fresh or good to eat.
Their daily diet consisted of a lump of stale bread, a bowl of rice and stale water.
Synonyms: old, hard, dry, decayed More Synonyms of stale
2. adjective
Stale air or a stale smells is unpleasant because it is no longer fresh.
A layer of smoke hung low in the stale air.
...the smell of stale sweat.
Synonyms: musty, stagnant, fusty More Synonyms of stale
3. graded adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you feel stale, you are bored because you have no new ideas or enthusiasm for what you are doing.
I believe in progression, in taking risks, in never getting stale.
4. adjective
If you say that a place, an activity, or an idea is stale, you mean that it has become boring because it is always the same.
[disapproval]
Her relationship with Mark has become stale.
The Government, he said, were sticking to stale ideas.
More Synonyms of stale
stale in British English1
(steɪl)
adjective
1.
(esp of food) hard, musty, or dry from being kept too long
2.
(of beer, etc) flat and tasteless from being kept open too long
3.
(of air) stagnant; foul
4.
uninteresting from overuse; hackneyed
stale clichés
5.
no longer new
stale news
6.
lacking in energy or ideas through overwork or lack of variety
7. banking
(of a cheque) not negotiable by a bank as a result of not having been presented within six months of being written
8. law
(of a claim, etc) having lost its effectiveness or force, as by failure to act or by the lapse of time
verb
9.
to make or become stale
Derived forms
stalely (ˈstalely)
adverb
staleness (ˈstaleness)
noun
Word origin
C13 (originally applied to liquor in the sense: well matured): probably via NormanFrench from Old French estale (unattested) motionless, of Frankish origin; related to stall1, install
stale in British English2
(steɪl)
verb
1. (intransitive)
(of livestock) to urinate
noun
2.
the urine of horses or cattle
Word origin
C15: perhaps from Old French estaler to stand in one position; see stall1; compare Middle Low German stallen to urinate, Greek stalassein to drip
stale in American English1
(steɪl)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈstaler or ˈstalest
1.
having lost freshness; made musty, dry, bad, etc. by having been kept too long
; specif.,
a.
flat; vapid; tasteless
stale beer
b.
hard and dry
said of bread, etc.
c.
low in oxygen content; stagnant
stale air
2.
having lost originality or newness; lacking in interest through familiarity or overuse; hackneyed; trite
a stale joke, stale gossip
3.
out of condition, ineffective, enervated, bored, etc. from either too much or too little activity
4. Law
having lost legal force or effect through lack of use or action, as a claim or lien
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: staled or ˈstaling
5.
to make or become stale
Derived forms
stalely (ˈstalely)
adverb
staleness (ˈstaleness)
noun
Word origin
ME, prob. via Anglo-Norm < OFr estale, quiet, stagnant < Gmc *stall: for IE base see still1
stale in American English2
(steɪl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: staled or ˈstaling
1.
to urinate
said as of horses and cattle
noun
2.
urine, as of horses or cattle
Word origin
ME, akin to MLowG stal, urine < IE base *(s)tel-, to let flow, urinate > Gr stalassein, to drip, telma, puddle
Examples of 'stale' in a sentence
stale
We sometimes trap ourselves in stale old tales.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This transfers heat from the stale air leaving the building to the fresh air coming in.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It was beginning to smell like stale beer.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This helps keep your profiles from going stale.
Christianity Today (2000)
The story of their trip to see the giant had become stale.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The relationship went a bit stale and so it was finished.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The last few ceremonies have been slightly stale affairs.
The Sun (2011)
They were saying his ideas had grown stale.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The room smelt of dust and the stale air was strangely warm.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Things have gone stale since the turn of the year.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The programme has become stale and lacklustre.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Sometimes as a young player you get a bit stale when you are not getting the games.
The Sun (2009)
The air was stale and cool against his face.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVELY FEARLESS: Breaking free of the fears that hold you back (2001)
They shall cheer us when the olives go stale!
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Sometimes affairs happen because a relationship has become stale.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Players who had to wait would get a rest, but might then feel stale.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They were just doing the same things, you get stale and bored.
The Sun (2007)
Too many players have grown old and stale under Pellegrini.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In fact a lot of preparation feels stale by Wednesday.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Well, if coffee and a slightly stale digestive counts as dining.
The Sun (2012)
These vast cohorts are liable to grow old or stale together, effectively ageing the character of their business with them.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
If you are already singing but feel a bit stale, set the bar higher and stretch yourself in a new group.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And you've managed to track one down which is supposed to be flat, stale and just a teeny bit sour.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
stale
British English: stale /steɪl/ ADJECTIVE
Stale food or air is no longer fresh.
....stale bread.
American English: stale
Arabic: مُبْتَذَل
Brazilian Portuguese: envelhecido
Chinese: 陈腐的
Croatian: star
Czech: starý potraviny
Danish: gammel
Dutch: niet vers
European Spanish: rancio
Finnish: vanhentunut pilaantunut
French: rassis
German: abgestanden Nahrungsmittel
Greek: μπαγιάτικος
Italian: stantio
Japanese: 古くなった
Korean: 신선하지 않은
Norwegian: ikke fersk
Polish: czerstwy
European Portuguese: envelhecido
Romanian: stătut
Russian: черствый
Latin American Spanish: rancio
Swedish: gammal
Thai: ไม่สด
Turkish: bayat
Ukrainian: черствий
Vietnamese: ôi thiu
Chinese translation of 'stale'
stale
(steɪl)
adj
[bread, food]陈(陳)的 (chén de)
[smell, air]污浊(濁)的 (wūzhuó de)
(fig)[relationship, person, ideas]乏味的 (fáwèi de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
(esp. of food) no longer fresh, having being kept too long
a lump of stale bread
Synonyms
old
He trotted out all the same old excuses as before.
hard
dry
The meat was dry, shrunk on the bone.
decayed
fetid
Opposites
fresh
,
crisp
2 (adjective)
Definition
(of air) stagnant and having an unpleasant smell
the smell of stale sweat
Synonyms
musty
He climbed the stairs to a lofty, musty room.
stagnant
Mosquitoes have been thriving in stagnant water on building sites.
fusty
The bedroom she was given had a fusty grandeur.
3 (adjective)
The place smelled of stale air and dusty carpets.
Synonyms
tasteless
The fish was mushy and tasteless.
flat
The past few days have been flat and empty.
sour
insipid
She pretended to be meek and insipid so that they would underestimate her.
They gave an insipid opening performance in a nil-nil draw.
4 (adjective)
Definition
uninteresting from having been done or seen too many times
repeating stale jokes to kill the time
Synonyms
unoriginal
banal
The text is banal.
trite
The movie is teeming with trite and obvious ideas.
common
flat
stereotyped
Listeners seem to have stereotyped ideas.
commonplace
The practice was virtually unheard of twenty years ago, but has now become commonplace.
worn-out
antiquated
threadbare
the government's threadbare domestic policies
old hat
insipid
hackneyed
That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.
overused
`Just do it' has become one of the most overused catchphrases in history.
repetitious
platitudinous
his small-minded and platitudinous comments
cliché-ridden
Opposites
new
,
original
,
novel
,
different
,
lively
,
innovative
,
refreshing
,
imaginative
Additional synonyms
in the sense of banal
Definition
lacking originality
The text is banal.
Synonyms
unoriginal,
stock,
ordinary,
boring,
tired,
routine,
dull,
everyday,
stereotypical,
pedestrian,
commonplace,
mundane,
tedious,
vanilla (slang),
dreary,
stale,
tiresome,
monotonous,
humdrum,
threadbare,
trite,
unimaginative,
uneventful,
uninteresting,
clichéd,
old hat,
mind-numbing,
hackneyed,
ho-hum (informal),
vapid,
repetitious,
wearisome,
platitudinous,
cliché-ridden,
unvaried
in the sense of commonplace
Definition
dull or unoriginal
The practice was virtually unheard of twenty years ago, but has now become commonplace.
Synonyms
everyday,
common,
ordinary,
widespread,
pedestrian,
customary,
mundane,
vanilla (slang),
banal,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
dime-a-dozen (informal),
trite,
uninteresting
in the sense of dry
The meat was dry, shrunk on the bone.
Synonyms
dried out,
old,
hard,
stale,
dehydrated,
overcooked,
past its best
Synonyms of 'stale'
stale
Explore 'stale' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of flat
Definition
unexciting
The past few days have been flat and empty.
Synonyms
dull,
dead,
empty,
boring,
depressing,
pointless,
tedious,
stale,
lacklustre,
tiresome,
lifeless,
monotonous,
uninteresting,
insipid,
unexciting,
spiritless
in the sense of fusty
Definition
smelling of damp or mould
The bedroom she was given had a fusty grandeur.
Synonyms
stale,
stuffy,
musty,
frowsty,
rank,
damp,
mouldy,
mouldering,
airless,
malodorous,
mildewed,
mildewy,
ill-smelling
in the sense of hackneyed
Definition
(of a word or phrase) unoriginal and overused
That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.
Synonyms
clichéd,
stock,
tired,
common,
stereotyped,
pedestrian,
played out (informal),
commonplace,
worn-out,
stale,
overworked,
banal,
run-of-the-mill,
threadbare,
trite,
unoriginal,
timeworn
in the sense of insipid
Definition
dull and boring
She pretended to be meek and insipid so that they would underestimate her.They gave an insipid opening performance in a nil-nil draw.
Synonyms
bland,
boring,
dull,
flat,
dry,
weak,
stupid,
limp,
tame,
pointless,
tedious,
stale,
drab,
banal,
tiresome,
lifeless,
prosaic,
trite,
unimaginative,
colourless,
uninteresting,
anaemic,
wishy-washy (informal),
ho-hum (informal),
vapid,
wearisome,
characterless,
spiritless,
jejune (old-fashioned),
prosy
in the sense of overused
`Just do it' has become one of the most overused catchphrases in history.
Synonyms
hackneyed,
worn (out),
stock,
tired,
stereotyped,
played out,
commonplace,
stale,
overworked,
threadbare,
trite,
clichéd,
unoriginal,
platitudinous,
timeworn
in the sense of platitudinous
his small-minded and platitudinous comments
Synonyms
clichéd,
set,
stock,
tired,
stereotyped,
hack,
commonplace,
stale,
overworked,
banal,
corny (slang),
well-worn,
trite,
hackneyed,
vapid,
truistic
in the sense of stagnant
Definition
(of water) stale from not moving
Mosquitoes have been thriving in stagnant water on building sites.
Synonyms
stale,
still,
standing,
quiet,
sluggish,
motionless,
brackish
in the sense of stereotyped
Listeners seem to have stereotyped ideas.
Synonyms
unoriginal,
stock,
standard,
tired,
conventional,
played out,
stale,
banal,
standardized,
mass-produced,
corny (slang),
threadbare,
trite,
hackneyed,
overused,
platitudinous,
cliché-ridden
in the sense of threadbare
Definition
having been used or expressed so often as to be no longer interesting
the government's threadbare domestic policies
Synonyms
hackneyed,
common,
tired,
stale,
corny (slang),
stock,
familiar,
conventional,
stereotyped,
commonplace,
well-worn,
trite,
clichéd,
overused,
cliché-ridden
in the sense of trite
Definition
(of a remark or idea) commonplace and unoriginal
The movie is teeming with trite and obvious ideas.