pale

10 synonyms and 5 antonyms for pale, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adjective — Light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

sick

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

wan faded

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

pallid ashen washed-out colourless blench blanch picket

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adjective

Light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face.

“The baby has pale skin, so we always put a hat on her in summer.”

pallid wan ashen faded washed-out colourless sick

Opposites

ruddy dark rich deep swarthy

2. verb

To become pale, especially from shock, fear, or illness.

“She paled at the sight of the needle and sat down quickly.”

blench blanch

3. noun

The historical phrase "beyond the pale," meaning outside acceptable limits or boundaries.

“Shouting at the referee like that is beyond the pale.”

picket

How to use pale

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

pale in comparison go pale pale blue beyond the pale

Etymology

From Old French pale, from Latin pallidus ("pale, pallid"). The noun sense meaning "boundary" comes from a separate root, Latin palus ("stake"), referring to a fence of stakes marking a territory's limits — the origin of the phrase "beyond the pale."

Full origin of pale →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pale” mean?

The word “pale” means light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face. In plain terms, light-coloured, especially a face that has lost colour, or (as a verb) to lose colour or seem lesser by comparison.

How do you pronounce “pale”?

“Pale” is pronounced payl (/peɪl/ in IPA).

How do you use “pale” in a sentence?

Here is “pale” used in a sentence: “She looked pale after the long flight.”

What part of speech is “pale”?

Depending on how it is used, “pale” can be an adjective, a verb and a noun.

Where does the word “pale” come from?

The word “pale” comes from Latin.

Is “pale” a common word?

“Pale” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

How many meanings does “pale” have?

“Pale” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face.

What is the difference between pale and pallid?

Both describe a lack of colour, especially in the face, but pale is the neutral, everyday word, while pallid is more formal or literary and usually implies an unhealthy or lifeless look. A person can be naturally pale, whereas pallid almost always suggests illness, exhaustion, or weakness.

What is the difference between pale and pail?

Pale and pail sound identical but are unrelated. Pale means light in colour or lacking colour, and as a verb, to lose colour or to seem less impressive by comparison; a pail is a bucket. If you are describing colour or a shocked face, the spelling you want is pale.

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dark deep rich sick faded wan picket colourless ruddy swarthy blanch ashen

Nearby words

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