pale 1 of 3

adjective

ˈpāl How to pronounce pale (audio)
Definition of palenext
1
as in faded
lacking intensity of color we chose a very pale pink for the walls of the room

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color after a week with the flu, she was deathly pale and noticeably thinner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly a pale outline off in the distance proved to be someone out for a walk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pale

2 of 3

verb

as in to bleach
to make white or whiter by removing color the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pale

3 of 3

noun

as in paling

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pale
Adjective
Anna turned so pale that her face seemed to shrink; only her lips grew noticeably fuller and redder than before. — Ingeborg Bachmann, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026 Usually hidden by the glare of our star, the ethereal corona and its pale, wavering streams of plasma are shaped by the sun’s magnetic field. — Claire Cameron & Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
And while Shakira drew big cheers, as did the appearance of Bieber, these paled in comparison to the cheers and oh’s and ah’s in the crowd throughout the gripping final. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2026 But the résumés of Rossum and her fellow younger castmates paled in comparison to their onscreen father played by Macy. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026
Noun
Some things do seem beyond the pale to this group. — Justin Worland, Time, 28 May 2026 Thus, anger management classes and guidebooks have risen to this challenge and seek to aid people in managing anger that is beyond the pale. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pale
  1. faded
  2. pallid
  3. vague
  4. bleach
  5. wall
  6. light
  7. faint
  8. fade
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the Remarkably Bright Creatures star, 33, embraced a warmer approach, with off-white jeans and a faded blue shirt under a dark blue chore jacket.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Inside the homes, sunlight falls on faded posters, worn furniture, and an old radio by a window.
    — Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Young people in particular have soured on the technology over the last year, a development that may at least partially be explained by a pallid entry-level job market.
    — T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • This mordant melange takes off from the opening sequence, when Niaz finds himself at a casting call for an indie directed by Aza (Elene Mausuradze), an androgynous female director with the pallid look of a Tim Burton extra.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pallid
Adjective
  • Entrepreneurs need this because being vague does not sell, attract referrals or earn trust.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The question is intentionally vague and confusing, and goes out of its way to evade the true purpose of the law.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of vague
Verb
  • If a garment or surface isn’t clearly bleach safe, test the product on an inconspicuous area first.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, corals of a single reef don’t bleach evenly, with some individuals dying off while their neighbors persist.
    — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of bleach
Noun
  • The Cohen Building originally housed the Social Security Administration, an important piece of the New Deal legacy, and contains frescoes painted in the 1940s by famed artist Seymour Fogel on the entrance lobby walls, Okin said.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Polished stone-tile floors, whitewashed walls, and spacious bathrooms are common elements of all the rooms.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of wall
Adjective
  • Kodali said drones could prove more useful for certain light-weight deliveries that are needed urgently like prescription medications.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The battery is smaller, lighter and cleverer than most rivals.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of light
Adjective
  • Led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, the mission aims to detect the faint 21-centimeter radio line emitted by early hydrogen atoms operating at low frequencies (10–50 MHz), a signal never before directly observed.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
  • During search operations, hundreds of onlookers and volunteers must be kept quiet enough in the middle of a bustling city to listen for the faintest sign of life.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of faint
Verb
  • Similar bouts of traders closing short positions in early June and early July initially pushed prices higher before the gains eventually faded.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Isabelle Huppert and Virginie Efira led Farhadi’s French-language Parallel Tales, a film about Sylvie (Huppert), a fading novelist in search of inspiration for her next book, who starts spying on her neighbors across the street.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fade

Browse Nearby Words

palavers
pale
paled
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Cite this Entry

“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pale. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pale

Nglish: Translation of pale for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pale

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