adjective / verb

stale

STAYL/steɪl/

Having lost freshness through age or repetition.

The uncovered bread is stale, and its slices are hard.

A cut loaf of bread left uncovered on a plain board, with dry, hardened slices and loose crumbs, illustrating the loss of freshness.

Etymology

A fixed position probably suggested drink left standing until it cleared—a desirable quality. Applied to food, long keeping instead implied lost freshness, which extended figuratively to things that had lost their interest or appeal.

In context

Archi notes0:39

outdoor wind pushes fresh air in and pulls stale air out.

Lesson 4 - Natural Ventilation

More examples

Opening the windows helps clear the stale air.
His jokes grow stale after weeks of repetition.
Without proper storage, bread stales before we finish it.

Forms

stale · staler · stalest · stales · staled · staling

staleness noun — The condition of having lost freshness.

Similar words

musty: Suggests a damp, unpleasant smell from age or poor ventilation.
trite: Applies to ideas or expressions made unoriginal by overuse.