1
as in faded
lacking intensity of color
we chose a very pale pink for the walls of the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
after a week with the flu, she was deathly pale and noticeably thinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly
a pale outline off in the distance proved to be someone out for a walk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to bleach
to make white or whiter by removing color
the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in paling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pale
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Lagers, which can be pale, dark, or amber, are characteristically light and crisp.
—Essence, 7 Apr. 2025
Piyachart Isarabhakdee, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
But that, and this current pickleball mania, pales in comparison to bowling’s boom.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Selena Gomez, too, went Old Hollywood in a pale, Cinderella blue Prada gown.
—Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pale
Adjective
Typically, the model and Rhode founder sticks to her signature colors and manicures: pale, sheer pinks, soft French tips, and shimmery, frosty whites.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Lagers, which can be pale, dark, or amber, are characteristically light and crisp.
—Essence, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
Yet, despite all this, the scale of progress pales in comparison to the powerful economic and political forces that continue to jeopardize our ecosystem.
—Piyachart Isarabhakdee, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
But that, and this current pickleball mania, pales in comparison to bowling’s boom.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
The United States does face its own daunting array of problems abroad and at home, but these pale in comparison to those China faces.
—Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Selena Gomez, too, went Old Hollywood in a pale, Cinderella blue Prada gown.
—Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pale
Adjective
-
Offering a 23% concentration of pure vitamin C, this formula delivers some serious brightening benefits, resulting in a more even-looking complexion and faded hyperpigmentation.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Everything below that will be flooded, according to IPCC predictions, so his maps show those areas as underwater, with what’s land today shown as a faded layer.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The paintings are brushy and pallid, seemingly hinting at a dissatisfaction with commodified products such as these.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Folk-rock and psychedelia would make Peter, Paul and Mary sound pallid and precious, although nostalgia sustained them through a later reunion career.—
Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Jared Weiss of The Athletic shared via X. Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was quite vague when discussing the possibility of Garland suiting up for Game 4.—
Mark Weinstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
-
For now, the language in the president’s executive order was fairly vague.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The mohawk itself appeared to be bleached dirty blonde.—
Lawrence Yee,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Anarchic social orders erect no monuments, and leave no ruins to be bleached over the centuries in the desert sand.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a light pair of dumbbells.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
20 Apr. 2025
-
This color is light and bright like J.Law’s and would be pretty for the daytime; a silky black skirt like Hilary Duff’s is a little more glamorous for dinner and drinks.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Oscar nominee's glam included a soft-bronzed makeup look, with a faint pink blush and a light mauve lipstick.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The Accountant 2, arriving this week some eight long years after the original, does not earn even that faintest of praise.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
First, there was a drip-drip-drip of crisis: as costs everywhere rose, city, state, and federal monies faded away once COVID-era bailout efforts came to an end.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
-
He’s got a big smile and that Generation Z vibe, maybe a freshly cut fade every three to four weeks.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Hitting the inside wall of the backstretch, the race ended with a photo finish and a video review was used to identify the winner.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Crews led off, hitting a deep fly ball to right field that sent Juan Soto crashing into the wall trying to make the catch.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pale. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share