stale
stale Lexical Profile
stale Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Of food, especially bread or pastry, no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; hard, dry, or musty from age or exposure to air.
"We used the stale bread to make homemade croutons for the soup."
Of air or an odor, unpleasant and lacking freshness due to poor ventilation or lingering smoke.
"She opened all the windows to let out the stale air after the long winter."
No longer new, original, or interesting because of overuse or repetition.
"The comedian's stale jokes failed to elicit even a polite chuckle from the audience."
Of a person or athlete, having lost vigor, enthusiasm, or sharpness of performance through overwork or lack of variety.
"After competing every weekend for six months, the tennis player felt mentally and physically stale."
• verb
To make or become stale, less fresh, or uninteresting over time.
"True artistic genius never stales, no matter how many centuries pass."
• Rhymes for stale
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in Middle English, the word likely derives from the Anglo-French 'estale' (meaning clear and settled, as of aged beer or wine) or Middle Dutch 'stel' (meaning old or stagnant), both tracing back to a Germanic root meaning to stand still.