stale
1 Americanadjective
-
not fresh; vapid or flat, as beverages; dry or hardened, as bread.
- Antonyms:
- fresh
-
musty; stagnant.
stale air.
-
having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite.
a stale joke.
- Synonyms:
- common, old, stereotyped, uninteresting
-
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.
-
Law. having lost force or effectiveness through absence of action, as a claim.
verb (used with or without object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
(esp of food) hard, musty, or dry from being kept too long
-
(of beer, etc) flat and tasteless from being kept open too long
-
(of air) stagnant; foul
-
uninteresting from overuse; hackneyed
stale clichés
-
no longer new
stale news
-
lacking in energy or ideas through overwork or lack of variety
-
banking (of a cheque) not negotiable by a bank as a result of not having been presented within six months of being written
-
law (of a claim, etc) having lost its effectiveness or force, as by failure to act or by the lapse of time
verb
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
If something is stale, it's no longer fresh. Ever bite into a piece of bread that's been left out a little too long? Chances are it's stale, or dry and hard to eat. Try making some croutons out of it. The word stale comes from the Old French estaler meaning "to halt," which is what happens to your jaw when you try and bite down on a piece of stale bread — it just can't chew through it. But stale isn't a word that's used only when talking about food. When an idea is stale, it's old or boring. And when a horse stales, it's not old and crusty, it's urinating. Step aside.
Vocabulary lists containing stale
Purple Hibiscus
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Life As We Knew It
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Magician's Nephew
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Between the musty setup and saccharine score, it’s the film equivalent of a bowl of stale candies.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
A hard copy is available for $50, but don’t bother—its “reference scenario” is already stale.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
It looks like a large sales miss, but that Street estimate might have been stale.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Scenario discussion at the press conference: Minutes are published with a delay, so they can be perceived as stale.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
On Thursday, I open my lunch and take out a PB&J on stale wheat bread.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
