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-
Synonyms
Examples of pale in a Sentence
Adjective
the pale wood of the table
The walls were painted a pale blue.
She has a pale complexion.
Her illness had left her pale and weak.
She grew pale with fright.
Are you feeling well? You look pale.
the pale light of dawn
Verb (1)
the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
Recent Examples on the Web
Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Here, Hublot takes its transparent full-sapphire concept to colorful heights with a pale pink treatment that graces the case, crystal, and even the rubber strap.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
The designer created a haute couture ensemble comprised of a pale grey cashmere cardigan, a couture corset rewoven from antique silver brocade and a skirt tooled with silver metal.
—Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024
These insects can resemble stems or twigs and are typically pale green or light brown.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
The photo was taken by Princess Kate in Windsor in the last few days and showed Charlotte smiling beside a garden fence with pale pink flowers.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
The pale pink silk velvet curtains add a luxurious, slightly Old Hollywood touch, and the nineteenth-century Ziegler rug, a gift from my mother-in-law, adds just the right dose of English chic.
—Plum Sykes, Vogue, 2 May 2024
That leads to the animal's skin or coat fading to look pale, white or patchy.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
On the other hand, pale green is little to no risk.
—Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
But the trash this will eventually produce pales in comparison to that produced by households, coal ash and plastic waste.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Residents are still concerned, as the number of alerts issued pales in comparison to the hundreds of children who remained missing in Milwaukee alone, the state’s Blackest city, in 2022.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
Still, international officials and aid groups have said the amount of aid supplied so far pales in comparison to the widespread need across Gaza.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
The film — a sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, which opened to $153 million back in 2019 — made the most of any film released over the weekend, but its $47 million-grossed pales in comparison to the 32 other films Marvel Studios has released within its interconnected universe since 2008's Iron Man.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
The stakes at hand for the Warriors’ season pale in comparison to the unimaginable loss of life most of this team witnessed firsthand.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
However, a 90 percent success rate pales compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which has now amassed more than 230 straight successful launches.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2023
Still, a $20 million jackpot pales in comparison to last month’s $1.7 billion.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2024
The response has paled in comparison to the massive international effort following Haiti’s cataclysmic 2010 earthquake, when countries and aid organizations sent billions in aid.
—Frances Robles, New York Times, 8 May 2024
While the size of its retail empire still pales in comparison to Amazon’s stranglehold on 38% of the U.S. e-commerce market, Tadelis said Shein will want to go after the industry leader.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 May 2024
Trump’s support among young voters generally pales in comparison to his rival — Biden leads by 19% among likely voters under 30, according to the Harvard poll.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024
But that argument pales in intensity to the disagreement over whether increasing market-rate housing alone impacts affordability.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The Caitlin Clark cards collectors have graded most frequently
The number of Clark's cards that collectors have graded in the past year pales in comparison to other sports unicorns such as the NBA's Victor Wembanyama or MLB's Shohei Ohtani.
—Caitlin Clark, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
Still, that number pales in comparison to the 1980s, when real rates often hovered in the high single digits and 30-year mortgages averaged 12.74%.
—Tom Saler, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
This pales in comparison to the No. 1 pick, Dubai International Airport (DXB), which scored 83 out of 100.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Union was giving mermaid chic in a white, green and blue sparkling gown by Michael Kors while Wade opted for a unique, pale purple lapel-less suit from Versace.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Here, Hublot takes its transparent full-sapphire concept to colorful heights with a pale pink treatment that graces the case, crystal, and even the rubber strap.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
The designer created a haute couture ensemble comprised of a pale grey cashmere cardigan, a couture corset rewoven from antique silver brocade and a skirt tooled with silver metal.
—Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024
These insects can resemble stems or twigs and are typically pale green or light brown.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2024
The photo was taken by Princess Kate in Windsor in the last few days and showed Charlotte smiling beside a garden fence with pale pink flowers.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
The pale pink silk velvet curtains add a luxurious, slightly Old Hollywood touch, and the nineteenth-century Ziegler rug, a gift from my mother-in-law, adds just the right dose of English chic.
—Plum Sykes, Vogue, 2 May 2024
That leads to the animal's skin or coat fading to look pale, white or patchy.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 May 2024
On the other hand, pale green is little to no risk.
—Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
Noun
Because the technology aboard Voyager 1 dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, the computer’s memory pales in comparison to any modern smartphone.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
But the trash this will eventually produce pales in comparison to that produced by households, coal ash and plastic waste.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Residents are still concerned, as the number of alerts issued pales in comparison to the hundreds of children who remained missing in Milwaukee alone, the state’s Blackest city, in 2022.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023
Still, international officials and aid groups have said the amount of aid supplied so far pales in comparison to the widespread need across Gaza.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
The film — a sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, which opened to $153 million back in 2019 — made the most of any film released over the weekend, but its $47 million-grossed pales in comparison to the 32 other films Marvel Studios has released within its interconnected universe since 2008's Iron Man.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
The stakes at hand for the Warriors’ season pale in comparison to the unimaginable loss of life most of this team witnessed firsthand.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
However, a 90 percent success rate pales compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which has now amassed more than 230 straight successful launches.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2023
Still, a $20 million jackpot pales in comparison to last month’s $1.7 billion.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
Verb
But both counties paled in comparison to the national average of 66% in the 2020 presidential primary.
—Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2024
The response has paled in comparison to the massive international effort following Haiti’s cataclysmic 2010 earthquake, when countries and aid organizations sent billions in aid.
—Frances Robles, New York Times, 8 May 2024
While the size of its retail empire still pales in comparison to Amazon’s stranglehold on 38% of the U.S. e-commerce market, Tadelis said Shein will want to go after the industry leader.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 May 2024
Trump’s support among young voters generally pales in comparison to his rival — Biden leads by 19% among likely voters under 30, according to the Harvard poll.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024
But that argument pales in intensity to the disagreement over whether increasing market-rate housing alone impacts affordability.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The Caitlin Clark cards collectors have graded most frequently
The number of Clark's cards that collectors have graded in the past year pales in comparison to other sports unicorns such as the NBA's Victor Wembanyama or MLB's Shohei Ohtani.
—Caitlin Clark, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
Still, that number pales in comparison to the 1980s, when real rates often hovered in the high single digits and 30-year mortgages averaged 12.74%.
—Tom Saler, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
This pales in comparison to the No. 1 pick, Dubai International Airport (DXB), which scored 83 out of 100.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to pale
Dictionary Entries Near pale
Cite this Entry
“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pale. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pale
2 of 3 verb
paled; paling
: to make or become pale
pale
3 of 3 noun1
: a stake or picket of a fence
2
: an enclosed place
3
: territory within clearly marked bounds or under a particular authority
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English pale "lacking in color," from early French pale (same meaning), from Latin pallidus (same meaning), from pallēre "to be pale"
Noun
Middle English pale "paling, picket," from early French pal "stake," from Latin palus (same meaning) — related to travel see Word History at travel
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