stale
Comparative
staler
Superlative
stalest
1
(of food, particularly cake and bread) not fresh anymore, due to exposure to air or prolonged storage
- The bread became stale after sitting out on the counter for several days.
- She found the crackers in the pantry had gone stale, lacking their usual crispness.
- The cookies tasted stale, indicating they had been left uncovered for too long.
- The pastry had gone stale in the display case, losing its flakiness and becoming dry.
- The chips were stale and unappealing, having been left exposed to air for too long.
Antonyms:
2
lacking freshness or excitement due to overuse, age, or repetition
- The party's playlist felt stale, with the same songs played repeatedly throughout the night.
- Their conversation topics became stale, lacking the excitement they once had.
- The once-thriving show had gone stale after several seasons without change.
- After years of doing the same routine, his job started to feel stale and uninspiring.
- The jokes had gotten stale after being told over and over again.
3
(of air, smoke, or water) lacking movement or flow, causing an unpleasant smell or taste
- The room smelled of stale air after being closed for hours.
- The water in the bottle tasted stale after sitting in the sun all day.
- The smoke in the old house felt stale and uncomfortable to breathe.
- The stale air in the office made it hard to concentrate.
- The stale water in the pond had a foul odor.
4
(of a person) having lost creativity or effectiveness from doing something too long
- After years of handling the same projects, he felt stale and disconnected from his work.
- The teacher started feeling stale, unable to motivate her students like she once did.
- She left her job because she felt stale and uninspired.
- After years of the same routine, he felt stale and unmotivated.
- Years of managing the same tasks left her feeling stale and disinterested.