adj Uncommon

stale

stayl

Stale (adj) means No longer fresh; dried out or gone off, especially food or drink. Example: “The bread had gone stale after sitting out overnight.”

adj

No longer fresh; dried out or gone off, especially food or drink.

"The bread had gone stale after sitting out overnight."

"He complained that the office coffee always tasted stale by noon."

No longer fresh or interesting; overused, clichéd, or dated.

"The comedian's jokes felt stale after the tenth show of the tour."

"Their marketing pitch was full of stale slogans nobody believed anymore."

verb

To become, or make, stale; to lose freshness or interest.

"The routine staled after months of repeating the same act every night."

How to use stale

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishPast its best — food that has dried out, or an idea, joke, or routine that has been repeated too many times.

Common mistake

Mostly used for food and ideas; for people worn out from overtraining or overwork, "stale" is also used but is less common outside sport (a "stale athlete").

Common pairings

stale bread stale joke grow stale stale air

Word forms

staler comparative, staled past tense, staled past tense, staled past tense, staled past tense, staled past tense, stales plural, stales plural, stales plural, stales plural, stales singular, stales singular, stales singular, stales singular, stales singular, stalest superlative

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The bread had gone _____ after sitting out overnight.

Etymology

From Middle English stale, from Old French estal (“fixed position, place”), but probably originally from Proto-Germanic *stāną (“to stand”): compare West Flemish stel in the same sense for ‘beer’ and ‘urine’.

Origin: Middle English

Synonyms

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handle haft helve shaft snath the shaft of a scythe stem

Antonyms

fresh

Related words

new old feel name deal hold cool drive

Rhymes for stale

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

See all rhymes for stale →

Frequently asked questions

What does “stale” mean?

The word “stale” means no longer fresh; dried out or gone off, especially food or drink. In plain terms, past its best — food that has dried out, or an idea, joke, or routine that has been repeated too many times.

How do you pronounce “stale”?

“Stale” is pronounced stayl (/steɪl/ in IPA).

How do you use “stale” in a sentence?

Here is “stale” used in a sentence: “The bread had gone stale after sitting out overnight.”

What is another word for “stale”?

Words with a similar meaning to “stale” include handle, haft, helve, shaft, snath and the shaft of a scythe.

What is the opposite of “stale”?

The opposite of “stale” — its antonyms — is fresh.

What part of speech is “stale”?

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

Is “stale” a common word?

“Stale” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “stale” have?

“Stale” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: no longer fresh; dried out or gone off, especially food or drink.

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