Reading Theme:

Language:

Font Size:

📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Stale: Definition, Usage & Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：no longer fresh (stale)

stale 🔊

/steɪl/

adj.

not fresh anymore, so it's dry, hard, and tastes bad.

Stale bread illustration showing dry, cracked slices in a bag.

no longer fresh 🔊

➕

/noʊ ˈlɒŋɡər frɛʃ/

adj.

Describes food or other perishable items that have lost their freshness, becoming dry, hard, and unpleasant in taste or texture.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Middle English 'stale', meaning 'standing still', hence not new or fresh.

💡 Mnemonic

STALE sounds like 'stay old', helping remember it means not fresh or new.

📖 Example

I forgot the bread on the counter, and now it's stale and too hard to eat. 🔊 I forgot the bread on the counter, and now it's stale and too hard to eat.

🔗 Collocations

stale bread – bread that is dry and hard due to age

stale air – air that feels stuffy and not fresh

stale smell – an unpleasant odor from something old

🔄 Synonyms

dry (adj.) – lacking moisture, similar to stale in texture

hard (adj.) – firm and not soft, often due to age

old (adj.) – having existed for a long time, not fresh

🚫 Antonyms

fresh (adj.) – newly made or obtained, not stale

moist (adj.) – slightly wet, opposite of dry and stale

🌱 Derivatives

staleness (n.) – the state or quality of being stale

📖 Cultural Story

Commonly used in business and media to describe outdated strategies or news that has lost relevance due to age.

Meaning 2：no longer interesting (stale)

stale 🔊

/steɪl/

adj.

not interesting anymore because it's old, repeated too many times, and not new.

Stale joke concept showing bored audience hearing an overused joke.

no longer interesting 🔊

➕

/noʊ ˈlɒŋɡər ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

adj.

Describes ideas, jokes, or content that have become uninteresting because they are old, overused, or not novel.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

That comedian's jokes feel stale now; I've heard all the same punchlines before. 🔊 That comedian's jokes feel stale now; I've heard all the same punchlines before.

🔗 Collocations

stale joke – a joke that is no longer funny due to repetition

stale idea – an idea that is outdated and not innovative

stale conversation – a discussion that lacks new topics and is boring

🔄 Synonyms

boring (adj.) – not interesting or exciting

outdated (adj.) – no longer current or fashionable

repetitive (adj.) – involving repetition, leading to staleness

🚫 Antonyms

fresh (adj.) – new and original, not stale

novel (adj.) – new and different, interesting

🌱 Derivatives

staleness (n.) – the state of being stale, lack of freshness or novelty