pale

1 of 5

adjective

ˈpāl 

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

3

: feeble, faint

a pale imitation

palely

ˈpāl-lē 

adverb

paleness

ˈpāl-nəs 

noun

palish

ˈpā-lish 

adjective

pale

2 of 5

verb (1)

paled; paling

intransitive verb

: to become pale

transitive verb

: to make pale

pale

3 of 5

noun

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

: picket sense 1

4

: a perpendicular stripe on a heraldic shield

5

archaic : palisade, paling

pale

4 of 5

verb (2)

paled; paling

transitive verb

: to enclose with pales : fence

pale-

5 of 5

combining form

see paleo-

Synonyms

Adjective

• dull
• dulled
• faded
• light
• pastel
• washed-out
• washy

Verb (1)

• blanch
• bleach
• blench
• decolorize
• dull
• fade
• snow
• wash out
• whiten

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

Adjective

The pale lemon hue, which could pass for a neutral, has been worn by stars like Aubrey Plaza, Rihanna and Emily Ratajkowski on the red carpet. —Hannah Malach, WWD, 12 Dec. 2024

Discover Madewell’s striped and Uniqlo’s pale blue 100% cotton options, Zara’s chocolate brown shirt with a rounded hem, and Everlane’s oversized black iteration, crafted from Tencel. —Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024

Noun

Admittedly, the global disharmony that the Bush administration overcame in 2008 pales in comparison with the bitterness and distrust today. —Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2020

Their matchday and commercial revenue pales in comparison. —Peter Rutzler, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024

Verb

Yet even those figures would pale in comparison with Musk’s lofty goals. —Matt Egan, CNN, 3 Dec. 2024

To be sure, Bluesky’s size pales in comparison to X. Musk’s site reportedly has 588 million accounts, meaning the users who have left, including more than 115,000 U.S. web users who deactivated their accounts the day after Election Day, represent a small segment of its audience. —Julia Shapero, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English pale, paal, palle, borrowed from Anglo-French pale, palle, paille (also continental Old French), borrowed (with loss of unstressed -id-) from Latin pallidus "pale, colorless," formed with the adjective suffix -idus from the same base as pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color," pallor "paleness of complexion, loss of color" — more at fallow entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English palen, borrowed from Anglo-French palir (continental Old French palir, paloïr), going back (with conjugation change) to Latin pallēscere "to grow pale, turn a pale color," inchoative derivative of pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color" — more at fallow entry 1

Noun and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French pel, pal stake, from Latin palus — more at pole

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pale

• beyond the pale
• India pale ale
• pale ale
• pale by comparison
• pale imitation
• pale in/by comparison to/with
• pale into insignificance

Kids Definition

pale

1 of 3 adjective

ˈpā(ə)l 

paler; palest

1

a

: light in color or shade : not vivid

a pale pink

b

: not having the warm skin color of a person in good health : pallid

became pale

2

: not bright or brilliant : dim

pale sunshine

palely adverb

paleness noun

pale

2 of 3 verb

paled; paling

: to make or become pale

pale

3 of 3 noun

1

: 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

Medical Definition

pale

adjective

ˈpā(ə)l 

paler; palest

: deficient in color or intensity of color

a pale face

paleness

-nəs 

noun