stale

¹ American  

[steyl] / steɪl /

adjective

staler, stalest

1. not fresh; vapid or flat, as beverages; dry or hardened, as bread.

   Synonyms:

   insipid , sour , tasteless , hard

   Antonyms:

   fresh

2. musty; stagnant.

   stale air.

3. having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite.

   a stale joke.

   Synonyms:

   common , old , stereotyped , uninteresting

4. having lost freshness, vigor, quick intelligence, initiative, or the like, as from overstrain, boredom, or surfeit.

   He had grown stale on the job and needed a long vacation.

5. Law.  having lost force or effectiveness through absence of action, as a claim.

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verb (used with or without object)

staled, staling

1. to make or become stale.

stale ² American  

[steyl] / steɪl /

verb (used without object)

staled, staling

1. (of livestock, especially horses) to urinate.

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stale ¹ British  

/ steɪl /

adjective

1. (esp of food) hard, musty, or dry from being kept too long

2. (of beer, etc) flat and tasteless from being kept open too long

3. (of air) stagnant; foul

4. uninteresting from overuse; hackneyed

   stale clichés

5. no longer new

   stale news

6. lacking in energy or ideas through overwork or lack of variety

7. banking (of a cheque) not negotiable by a bank as a result of not having been presented within six months of being written

8. law (of a claim, etc) having lost its effectiveness or force, as by failure to act or by the lapse of time

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verb

1. to make or become stale

stale ² British  

/ steɪl /

verb

1. (intr) (of livestock) to urinate

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noun

1. the urine of horses or cattle

Other Word Forms

• stalely adverb
• staleness noun

Etymology

Origin of stale¹

1250–1300; Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch stel in same sense; perhaps akin to stand or to stale ²

Origin of stale²

1400–50; late Middle English stalen to urinate; cognate with German stallen, Danish stalle, Norwegian, Swedish stalla

Example Sentences

The data leave an already divided Fed with stale and somewhat inconclusive government data as it heads into its next meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are several reasons more sellers are pulling their homes off the market, including a surge in stale listings, slow demand, sellers not wanting to take a loss, and more total listings.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Now we’re lucky if we get a cup of water and a stale bag of peanuts.”

From Los Angeles Times

While the September data may be a bit “stale” this close to the end of the year, the results will nonetheless provide insights about the health of U.S. consumers heading into the all-important holiday season.

From Barron's

With a limited earnings calendar and stale economic data this short Thanksgiving week, not to mention thin liquidity, vibes might matter more than anything for the short term.

From Barron's

Related Words

• corny
• dull
• hackneyed
• shopworn
• threadbare
• tired