paler; palest
1
a
: deficient in color or intensity of color : pallid
a pale complexion
b(1)
: having color of reduced saturation (see saturation sense 4a)
a pale pink
(2)
: light in color especially relative to others of its kind
pale beers
2
: not bright or brilliant : dim
a pale sun shining through the fog
paled; paling
: to become pale
: to make pale
1
: an area or the limits within which one is privileged or protected (as from censure)
conduct that was beyond the pale
2
a
: a space or field having bounds : enclosure
The cattle were led into the pale.
b
: a territory or district within certain bounds or under a particular jurisdiction
British culture survived even within the Roman pale.
3
a
: one of the stakes of a palisade
b
4
: a perpendicular stripe on a heraldic shield
see paleo-
Cite this Entry
“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pale. Accessed 15 Aug. 2025.
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