pale

[ peyl ]

See synonyms for: pale pales paling paleness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,pal·er, pal·est.

(of a person or a person's skin)
- light-colored or lacking in color: a pale complexion; his pale face; a pale child.
- lacking the usual intensity of color due to fear, illness, stress, etc.:She looked pale and unwell when we visited her in the nursing home.
of a low degree of chroma, saturation, or purity; approaching white or gray: pale yellow.

not bright or brilliant; dim: the pale moon.
faint or feeble; lacking vigor: a pale protest.

verb (used without object),paled, pal·ing.

to become pale: to pale at the sight of blood.
to seem less important, remarkable, etc., especially when compared with something else: Platinum is so rare that even gold pales in comparison.

verb (used with object)

to make pale.

Origin of pale

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin pallidus pallid

synonym study For pale

1. Pale, pallid, wan imply an absence of color, especially from the human countenance. Pale implies a faintness or absence of color, which may be natural when applied to things, the pale blue of a violet, but when used to refer to the human face usually means an unnatural and often temporary absence of color, as arising from sickness or sudden emotion: pale cheeks. Pallid , limited mainly to the human countenance, implies an excessive paleness induced by intense emotion, disease, or death: the pallid lips of the dying man. Wan implies a sickly paleness, as after a long illness: wan and thin; the suggestion of weakness may be more prominent than that of lack of color: a wan smile.

Other words for pale

5	blanch, blench, whiten; fade, lose color

See synonyms for pale on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for pale

1	ruddy
5	deepen

See antonyms for pale on Thesaurus.com

Other words from pale

palely, adverb
paleness, noun

Words that may be confused with pale

1. pale , pail
2. pale , pall, pallor

Other definitions for pale (2 of 2)

pale²

[ peyl ]

noun

a stake or picket, as of a fence.
an enclosing or confining barrier; enclosure.

an enclosed area.
limits; bounds: outside the pale of his jurisdiction.
a district or region within designated bounds.
(initial capital letter)
- Also called Eng·lish Pale [ing-glish peyl], /ˈɪŋ glɪʃ ˈpeɪl/, I·rish Pale [ahy-rish peyl] /ˈaɪ rɪʃ ˈpeɪl/ . a district in eastern Ireland included in the Angevin Empire ofKing Henry II and his successors.
- Also called Pale of Set·tle·ment [peyluhv set-l-muhnt] /ˈpeɪl əv ˈsɛt l mənt/ . the territories in the Russian Empire in which Jews were allowed to live.
Heraldry. an ordinary in the form of a broad vertical stripe at the center of an escutcheon.
Shipbuilding. a shore used inside to support the deck beams of a hull under construction.

verb (used with object),paled, pal·ing.

to enclose with pales; fence.
to encircle or encompass.

Origin of pale

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pal(e), paele, from Old French pal, pel “stake,” from Latin pālus “wooden pole, wooden peg, stake”; see origin at peel³;see also pole¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pale in a sentence

“He turned pale, trembled to a great degree, was much agitated, and began to cry,” she told the court.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The pale, baby-faced, red-cheeked rapper is furiously puffing away at a hastily-made blunt crammed with low-grade weed.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ | Marlow Stern | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the flaws and peccadilloes of Renaissance artists like Michelangelo pale beside the misdeeds of patrons and pontiffs.
Great Renaissance Art Thrived Amid Filth | Nick Romeo | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Still, at each stage of jazz history certain kinds of sounds were beyond the pale.
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest | Nat Hentoff | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I turned completely ashen, completely pale,” Beck remembers.
The Intern Who Birthed The KAL007 Conspiracy Theories | Tim Mak | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Louis stood firm, though pale and respectful, before the resentful gaze of Elizabeth.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
Babylas raised his pale face; he knew what was coming; it had come so many times before.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
She observed his pale looks, and the distracted wandering of his eyes; but she would not notice either.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
He returned shortly, to meet his mother standing in the doorway, with pale, affrighted face.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
“You must leave this house this moment,” she cried, with a stamp, with gleaming eyes and very pale.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for pale (1 of 2)

pale¹

/ (peɪl) /

adjective

lacking brightness of colour; whitish: pale morning light
(of a colour) whitish; produced by a relatively small quantity of colouring agent

dim or wan: the pale stars
feeble: a pale effort
Southern African a euphemism for White

verb

to make or become pale or paler; blanch
(intr often foll by before) to lose superiority or importance (in comparison to): her beauty paled before that of her hostess

Origin of pale

C13: from Old French palle, from Latin pallidus pale, from pallēre to look wan

Derived forms of pale

palely, adverb
paleness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for pale (2 of 2)

pale²

/ (peɪl) /

noun

a wooden post or strip used as an upright member in a fence
an enclosing barrier, esp a fence made of pales

an area enclosed by a pale
a sphere of activity within which certain restrictions are applied
heraldry an ordinary consisting of a vertical stripe, usually in the centre of a shield
beyond the pale outside the limits of social convention

verb

(tr) to enclose with pales

Origin of pale

C14: from Old French pal, from Latin pālus stake; compare pole 1

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with pale

pale

see beyond the pale.

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