adjective B1 Intermediate Common

pale

payl

Pale (adjective) means Light in colour, or lacking the usual colour, especially in the face. Example: “She looked pale after the long flight.”

adjective

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

"She looked pale after the long flight."

"He painted the room a pale shade of yellow."

verb

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

"He paled when he heard the news."

To seem weaker or less impressive by comparison.

"Her early work pales next to what she achieved later."

noun

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

"His comments were considered well beyond the pale."

How to use pale

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLight-coloured, especially a face that has lost colour, or (as a verb) to lose colour or seem lesser by comparison.

Common mistake

"Beyond the pale" doesn't mean pale in colour at all — it comes from a separate word for a boundary fence, meaning "outside acceptable limits."

Common pairings

pale in comparison go pale pale blue beyond the pale

Word forms

paler comparative, paled past tense, paled past tense, pales plural, pales singular, pales singular, palest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

She looked _____ after the long flight.

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."

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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pallid wan ashen faded washed-out colourless

Related words

girl woman deep route grey gray boring declined

Rhymes for pale

ale male sale gale tale kale vale dale Yale bale hale cale

See all rhymes for 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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