as in fades
to make white or whiter by removing color
the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
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Recent Examples of pales
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Being the offense’s engine is a completely different (and more challenging) assignment than being an off-ball threat, and while Knueppel might already be the best off-ball player in the league, the value of that role still pales behind that of a big, ballhandling wing.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The team’s turnaround still pales in comparison to what Oklahoma City or San Antonio has done, emerging as title contenders with MVP-caliber players anchoring their lineups.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
His county’s population has grown by roughly by 32% since 1990, which pales in comparison with statewide growth of 74%.
—Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
And the scale of this pullback still pales next to its 75% collapse during the 2021–2022 bear market.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
And for those who do manage to build a large emergency fund, the balance often pales in comparison to what a common medical procedure could cost, Volk said.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Applebee’s recently managed its first quarter of same-store sales growth after eight consecutive declines, a faint improvement, but one that pales in comparison to the surge at Chili’s or the steady gains at Olive Garden.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
While the prevalence of carfentanil still pales in comparison to fentanyl, experts are nevertheless alarmed by the increase of a substance researched for years as a chemical weapon and deployed by Russian forces on Chechen separatists in 2002.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Being the offense’s engine is a completely different (and more challenging) assignment than being an off-ball threat, and while Knueppel might already be the best off-ball player in the league, the value of that role still pales behind that of a big, ballhandling wing.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The team’s turnaround still pales in comparison to what Oklahoma City or San Antonio has done, emerging as title contenders with MVP-caliber players anchoring their lineups.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
His county’s population has grown by roughly by 32% since 1990, which pales in comparison with statewide growth of 74%.
—Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
And the scale of this pullback still pales next to its 75% collapse during the 2021–2022 bear market.
—Emily Nicolle, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
And for those who do manage to build a large emergency fund, the balance often pales in comparison to what a common medical procedure could cost, Volk said.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Applebee’s recently managed its first quarter of same-store sales growth after eight consecutive declines, a faint improvement, but one that pales in comparison to the surge at Chili’s or the steady gains at Olive Garden.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pales
Verb
-
Ducks’ top line fades The Ducks’ top line of Leo Carlsson centering Chris Kreider and Troy Terry had a quiet ending to the series after a very productive opening round against Edmonton.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
In terms of where to beach, wide stretches of sand in Beach Haven remain some of the Jersey Shore’s most desirable, drawing surfers at sunrise, families hauling coolers and striped umbrellas by midday, and sunset walkers lingering until the sky fades pink over the dunes.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Neon had done what Amazon hadn’t—given Riley the freedom to swing for the fences.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Carefree, sun-loving vines scramble up posts, rails, trellises, fences, and arbors to reach for the sky.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Donkey soccer was our reprieve from the weight of the world and the foundation of an unlikely community during a time when political forces were trying to build walls between us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
On the walls hung vertical scrolls of Chinese calligraphy.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The hue is deepening into richer, more golden tones, a shift away from the airy butter yellow that still brightens contemporary collections.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Another key element is the slouchy shoulder bag that brightens up the outfit without adding more bulk.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The other lets go of a red balloon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Federal police chased and targeted people randomly in public places like stores, shopping center parking lets, a church lawn and a country club and at times aimed their weapons at people or threatened them.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
For many families, barriers to care stem not only from transportation or cost, but from feeling misunderstood, unseen, or unable to communicate comfortably with providers.—
Maria Bledsoe,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
-
In the past, the EEOC has also used EEO-1 data to focus the agency’s outreach, education and guidance on industries where empirical evidence indicates that barriers to equal employment opportunity exist.—
Michelle Travis,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Outside, the garden was elevated by replacing traditional English boxwood hedges with new plantings, including dogwood trees, and creating multiple outdoor spaces for dining and lounging.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
18 May 2026
-
The size and growth habit depend on the species, some bottlebrushes are dense and compact, lending themselves to be grown as informal hedges, whereas others are sparse and open and can be pruned into a small tree.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pales. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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