pale
1(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.
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.
to make pale.
Origin of pale
1synonym study For pale
Other words for pale
5 | blanch, blench, whiten; fade, lose color |
Opposites for pale
Other words from pale
- palely, adverb
- paleness, noun
Words that may be confused with pale
Other definitions for pale (2 of 2)
a stake or picket, as of a fence.
an enclosing or confining barrier; enclosure.
an enclosed area.
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 of King 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.
Origin of pale
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pale in a sentence
“Her paintings and paints in the palest colors, and simplest shapes, pretty much covered the studio,” Bradlee wrote.
The Bizarre Tale of Ben Bradlee, JFK, and the Master Spy | Will Rahn | October 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Krush” (Karl-as-Rush) was the palest simulacrum of a Rush Limbaugh.
It was of dainty white organdy, made to wear over a slip of the palest green silk, with ribbons to match.
Mildred's Inheritance | Annie Fellows JohnstonThe rug or carpet is of the deepest, and the ceiling of the palest.
Color Value | C. R. CliffordWhere the sky was palest the new moon looked like a little gilt slit in the sky, letting the light of heaven show through.
The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
In another minute a fashionable little figure in palest rose-colour had thrown two pretty lace-clad arms about his neck.
And So They Were Married | Florence Morse KingsleyIn a square box, smelling of sandalwood, was an exquisite kimono of palest pink crêpe, embroidered with wisteria blossoms.
Glory of Youth | Temple Bailey
British Dictionary definitions for pale (1 of 2)
/ (peɪl) /
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
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
1Derived forms of pale
- palely, adverb
- paleness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for pale (2 of 2)
/ (peɪl) /
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
(tr) to enclose with pales
Origin of pale
2Collins 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
see beyond the pale.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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