|
|
stale
|
|
- pronunciation:
- steIl
- parts of speech:
- adjective, transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective), Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
staler, stalest |
| definition 1: |
having lost the moisture, taste, effervescence, or the like that is associated with freshness.
The children gave bits of stale bread to the ducks.He complained to the bartender about the stale beer.- synonyms:
- dry, wilted
- antonyms:
- fresh
- similar words:
- bland, flat, fusty, insipid, moldy, musty, old, sour, stagnant, stuffy, tasteless, vapid
|
| definition 2: |
boring or lacking spark, especially because of overuse or lack of originality.
The article was full of stale ideas.- synonyms:
- banal, hackneyed, shopworn, tired, trite
- antonyms:
- fresh, hot, original
- similar words:
- bland, boring, commonplace, corny, dull, flat, humdrum, insipid, old, old hat, overused, stock, uninspired, unoriginal, vapid, worn, worn-out
|
| definition 3: |
of a person, having lost energy, originality, or motivation.
She stopped writing when she felt she was getting stale, despite the pleas of her readers.- synonyms:
- stagnant, unoriginal
- similar words:
- bland, dead, dull, effete, fusty, insipid, old-fashioned, sluggish, tired, uncreative, weary
|
| related words: |
bad, banal, barren, cliché, dreary, dry, hack, pedestrian, prosaic, rancid, threadbare |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
stales, staling, staled |
| definition: |
to make stale.
He quit his tedious job as a proofreader, claiming it staled his creativity.- synonyms:
- dull, stagnate, wilt
- similar words:
- deaden, decay, dry, flatten, mold, sour, spoil
|
|
|
| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to become stale.
The bread will stale very quickly if you leave the bag open.He stopped writing the detective stories because he felt the character had staled.- similar words:
- dull
|
| derivations: |
stalely (adv.), staleness (n.) |
|
|