1
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
the sequel is basically a stale remake of the first movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stale
The Institute’s facilities are austere and a little stale, reflecting an underfunded government program and an underfunded television show in which the coolest visual element relates to the glowing red ear tag stapled to the kids upon their arrival.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Stripping it out this way often strips other characteristics of the beverage, leaving them tasting stale, which is why juices, sugars and botanicals are often added afterwards.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Like the Gramercy, Boca has a reliable excellence and shows no signs of growing stale.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Overall, the housing supply is at a five-year high, with nearly half of those unsold listings considered stale at 60 days or more on the market.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Stripping it out this way often strips other characteristics of the beverage, leaving them tasting stale, which is why juices, sugars and botanicals are often added afterwards.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Like the Gramercy, Boca has a reliable excellence and shows no signs of growing stale.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Overall, the housing supply is at a five-year high, with nearly half of those unsold listings considered stale at 60 days or more on the market.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
There are occasional boring stretches, along with confounding ones.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
-
At the end of the day, Stone relied on all of the wardrobe classics to turn boring old sports merch into a sartorial home run.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Delaying tree harvests and protecting older forests enhances carbon sequestration, making untouched forests vital for reducing carbon dioxide and combating climate change.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
The committee is seeking old photographs and historical information about Pea Ridge and the years before there was a newspaper.—
Annette Beard,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
The hollowed eyes and sunken cheeks belonging to Wednesday and the tired girl visage is one that requires the cool-toned products Violetta reached for in her videos, according to makeup artist Lauren Wolborsky.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
30 July 2025
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Cosmetic procedures were once only whispered about, carefully timed around the holidays to create the illusion that a restful getaway had erased wrinkles, brightened tired eyes and restored a youthful, refreshed look.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Kennedy’s opponent, Vice President Richard Nixon, seemed to embody what voters were tiring of—the stale complacency and status quo of the 1950s.—
Time,
Time,
23 July 2025
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There are only so many new stories to be told, and audiences seem to be tiring of the monotony.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
Similarly, the billionaire-villain forgery subplot and the insertion of romance into team dynamics came across as forced, hackneyed and unnecessary.—
Karl Moore,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
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This hackneyed stance has turned his concert performances shrill and hollow.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Many senior party and military leaders, weary after years of a punishing civil war, were reluctant to go up against the strongest force in the world.—
M. Taylor Fravel,
Foreign Affairs,
18 July 2025
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There’s no rest for the weary — or in this case, the Florida Panthers.—
Kaitlyn Pohly,
Miami Herald,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
As elevated mortgage rates continue to put a damper on the housing market locally and nationally, rising inventory, slower sales and lower prices have made for more favorable conditions for potential buyers in the Austin-area housing market.—
Shonda Novak,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Progress toward the opening of the micro-home village has been slow following a ceremonial groundbreaking held in July 2023.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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