Stale — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Stale (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. used or heard so often as to be dull

   "viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms"

   similar: banal, cliché, clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hack, hackney, hackneyed, moth-eaten, musty, obligatory, shopworn, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn
   related: twice-told, bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous, canned, cardboard, conventional, cookie-cutter, derivative, imitative, ready-made, tried-and-true, unimaginative, uninspired, unoriginal, normal, ordinary, rote, routine, standard, stock, typical, usual, arid, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monotonous, numbing, old, pedantic, pedestrian, ponderous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, undramatic, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying, old-fashioned, old hat
   opposite: fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed
   near: animating, energizing, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating, absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, atypical, extraordinary, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented, unusual, pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing

2. causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

   "the sequel is basically a stale remake of the first movie"

   similar: arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying
   related: aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless, blank, earthbound, gray, inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular, annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating, longsome, palling, draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing, debilitating, enfeebling, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting, common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid, cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky
   opposite: absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting
   near: amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous, animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, amusing, diverting, entertaining, moving, poignant, touching, alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating, mesmerizing, spellbinding, suspenseful, arresting, provocative, tantalizing