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Meaning of stale in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  3. Classifying Adjective
    1. Definitions
  4. Qualitative Adjective
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  1. Pronunciation

    /steɪl/

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  1. Verb

    stale

    Etymology

    late Middle English: perhaps from Old French estaler‘come to a stand, halt’ (compare with stale)

    Definitions

    1. urinate, of cattle and horses
  2. Classifying Adjective

    stale

    Definitions

    1. lacking originality or spontaneity

    Examples

    • « no longer new »
    • « moth-eaten theories about race »

    Synonyms

    • unoriginal
  3. 2. no longer new

    Examples

    • « uninteresting »
    • « cold (or stale) news »

    Synonyms

    • old
  4. Qualitative Adjective

    stale

    Etymology

    Middle English (describing beer in the sense ‘clear from long standing, strong’): probably from Anglo-Norman French and Old French, from estaler‘to halt’; compare with the verb stall

    Definitions

    1. showing deterioration from age

    Examples

    • « stale bread »

    Synonyms

    • addled
    • bad
    • spoiled
    • spoilt
    • cold
    • day-old
    • flyblown
    • maggoty
    • hard
    • limp
    • wilted
    • moldy
    • mouldy
    • musty
    • rancid

    Antonyms

    • fresh

Famous quotes

  • « O God, O God, how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world! »
    William Shakespeare
  • « What nature delivers to us is never stale. Because what nature creates has eternity in it. »
    Isaac Bashevis Singer
  • « A stale article, if you dip it in a good, warm, sunny smile, will go off better than a fresh one that you've scowled upon. »
    Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • « What's important at the grocery store is just as important in engines or medical systems. If the customer isn't satisfied, if the stuff is getting stale, if the shelf isn't right, or if the offerings aren't right, it's the same thing. You manage it like a small organization. You don't get hung up on zeros. »
    Jack Welch
  • « Contrary to popular opinion, things don't go stale particularly fast in the art world. »
    Jerry Saltz

See also

  • old
  • unoriginal

Browse dictionary

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