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View synonyms for

stale

1

[ steyl ]

adjective

staler, stalest.
  1. not fresh; vapid or flat, as beverages; dry or hardened, as bread.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. musty; stagnant:

    stale air.

  3. having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite:

    a stale joke.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  4. having lost freshness, vigor, quick intelligence, initiative, or the like, as from overstrain, boredom, or surfeit:

    He had grown stale on the job and needed a long vacation.

  5. Law. having lost force or effectiveness through absence of action, as a claim.


verb (used with or without object)

staled, staling.
  1. to make or become stale.

stale

2

[ steyl ]

verb (used without object)

staled, staling.
  1. (of livestock, especially horses) to urinate.

stale

1

/ ٱɪ /

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to make or become stale
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

stale

2

/ ٱɪ /

verb

  1. intr (of livestock) to urinate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the urine of horses or cattle
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٲԱ, noun
  • ˈٲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ٲl adverb
  • ٲn noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stale1

1250–1300; Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch stel in same sense; perhaps akin to stand or to stale 2

Origin of stale2

1400–50; late Middle English stalen to urinate; cognate with German stallen, Danish stalle, Norwegian, Swedish stalla
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Word History and Origins

Origin of stale1

C13 (originally applied to liquor in the sense: well matured): probably via Norman French from Old French estale (unattested) motionless, of Frankish origin; related to stall 1, install

Origin of stale2

C15: perhaps from Old French estaler to stand in one position; see stall 1; compare Middle Low German stallen to urinate, Greek stalassein to drip
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She told BBC Indonesian at the time that the food, which had given her a stomach ache, was "bland and stale".

From

It's actually a painted veneer, presumably because there was not a piece of foil large enough, lest a run on crinkly silver lead to stale sarnies.

From

But with Trudeau's resignation, and Trump's threats to Canada's economic security and even its sovereignty, that messaging has become stale, Mr Lyle says.

From

Jan. 6 was still fresh in public memory, Trump was drowning in lawsuits and indictments, and the pathetic lies about the “stolen” 2020 election were getting stale.

From

The comedy can’t help but grow stale left out so long.

From

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St. Albertstale bull