To become stale, or to make something lose freshness, interest, or effectiveness.
Examples
Bread stales faster when it is poorly wrapped.
The routine staled after a few months.
Too much repetition can stale a good joke.
The crackers were staling in the open bag.
The story will stale if every episode repeats the same twist.
Similar words
age
dry
harden
dull
flatten
weaken
fade
Etymology
The adjective comes from Middle English, where it described ale that had settled or was no longer fresh. It was borrowed through Anglo-French estale and is probably related to Middle Dutch stel, meaning old when used of beer. The verb meaning to make or become stale developed later from the adjective.
FAQ
What does stale mean?
Stale means no longer fresh, lively, original, current, or useful because of age, repetition, delay, or lack of refresh.
Can stale describe both food and ideas?
Yes. Stale bread has lost freshness. A stale idea has lost originality or interest through overuse.
Is stale the same as rotten?
No. Stale usually means old, dry, flat, or unfresh. Rotten means spoiled or decayed.
What does stale data mean?
Stale data is data that no longer reflects the latest state because it has not been refreshed or synchronized.
What does stale claim mean?
A stale claim is a legal claim that may have lost force or usefulness because too much time passed before action was taken.
Is stale a verb?
Yes. Stale can mean to become stale or make something stale, as in bread stales quickly, but go stale is more common in everyday speech.
What are the forms of stale?
The adjective forms are staler and stalest. The verb forms include stales, staled, and staling.
What are common synonyms for stale?
Depending on the sense, synonyms include old, dry, tired, overused, outdated, expired, and unrefreshed.
Comments & contributions
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Placid Egret
Jul 11
the stale air example is good. I used to say old air and people knew it but it sounded weird
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Silver Turtle
Jul 8
pan duro is what my brain reaches for, but in English stale feels less dramatic than rotten
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Maple Fox
Jul 6
i only ever hear staling in food science. in normal speech everyone around me says went stale
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Calm Camel
Jul 3
stale popcorn at the cinema should get its own warning label lol
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Goofy Quail
Jun 29
Programmers also say stale closure, especially around React/JS. It means your callback is holding an old value from a previous render, like the UI moved on but the function didnt.
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Perky Snail
Jun 28
In web docs stale can be a permitted cache state, not automatically a bug. stale-while-revalidate literally serves the old response while the cache checks for a fresh one in the background.
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Humble Reindeer
Jun 27
Coffee people use stale a lot for beans or grounds that sat too long after roasting or grinding. It is usually flat and dull, not unsafe, so dont translate it as spoiled coffee.
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Rustic Osprey
Jun 21
learners get tripped up here: bread gets hard when it goes stale, but crisps/chips and some biscuits can go soft. stale doesnt always mean dry
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Steady Loon
Jun 19
fridge bread is a funny trap here. It can be totally safe but still go stale faster, so stale is about the texture getting dry or leathery, not mold. freezer is the one that helps if you mean to keep it
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Quirky Whale
Jun 20
yep. fridge bread makes the saddest toast, but it isnt rotten