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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stale
No one wants to use a bathroom that smells stale (or worse).
—
Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Genoa started its season in stale fashion with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Lecce, where Caleb Ekuban and Sebastian Otoa both missed out through injury.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
The principles hang on a banner amid the lingering smell of stale sweat and constant work, near the mats that have launched journeys to national championships and the Olympics.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Goldie now thought that watching for owls and high-kicking with her shadow were the stale amusements of childhood.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
Genoa started its season in stale fashion with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Lecce, where Caleb Ekuban and Sebastian Otoa both missed out through injury.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
The principles hang on a banner amid the lingering smell of stale sweat and constant work, near the mats that have launched journeys to national championships and the Olympics.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Goldie now thought that watching for owls and high-kicking with her shadow were the stale amusements of childhood.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stale
Adjective
-
But Anderson also knows that the moral purity of revolutionaries gets boring pretty fast.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
-
However, the McCullum and Stokes selection wagon prefers fast wheels rather than those boring job specs, such as age and experience.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
When Angels manager Ron Washington took medical leave in June for the remainder of the 2025 season, Bochy became the oldest skipper, and only septuagenarian, in MLB.—
Candace Oehler,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Viewed in this light, the old narrative of 1066 and its aftermath has much to recommend it.—
Will Collins,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Reed got her first gig at Cataloochee at the age of 19 in 1996 and has never tired of the work.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Manning’s inefficiency was on full display, and the Longhorns faithful grew tired of it during the first half.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The story revolves around this character in ways that feel hackneyed and forced.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Parents were weary to send their children across town amidst chaos, and some teachers left their posts.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
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Cognisant of the wary and weary eyes of investors — who have followed more than a year of tumult in French politics amid stark disagreements about the 2026 budget — French President Emmanuel Macron quickly elected a new prime minister, France's fifth in less than two years.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stale. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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