staler; stalest
1
: tasteless or unpalatable from age
stale bread
2
: tedious from familiarity
a stale routine
3
: impaired in legal force or effect by reason of being allowed to rest without timely use, action, or demand
a stale affidavit
a stale debt
4
: impaired in vigor or effectiveness
staleness
noun
staled; staling
: to become stale
: urine of a domestic animal (such as a horse)
Synonyms
Examples of stale in a Sentence
Adjective
a room filled with stale smoke
viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms
Recent Examples on the Web
Olaf Blecker, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
Now Tesla looks stale by comparison to its Chinese competitors, says Xing.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stale 
Adjective
At eighteen months, some prune pulp or baked apple could be allowed, along with stale bread; at two years, baked potato.
—Olaf Blecker, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
Now Tesla looks stale by comparison to its Chinese competitors, says Xing.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stale
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stale
Cite this Entry
“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stale
1 of 2 adjective
staler; stalest
1
: having lost a good taste or quality from age
stale food
2
: used or heard so often as to be dull
stale news
3
: not so strong, effective, or energetic as before
felt stale from lack of exercise
staleness
noun
stale
2 of 2 verb
staled; staling
: to make or become stale
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