PALE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

View synonyms for

pale

[ peyl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

paler, palest.

(of a person or a person's skin)
1. light-colored or lacking in color:
  a pale complexion; his pale face; a pale child.
2. lacking the usual intensity of color due to fear, illness, stress, etc.:
  She looked pale and unwell when we visited her in the nursing home.
Antonyms:
of a low degree of chroma, saturation, or purity; approaching white or gray:
pale yellow.
not bright or brilliant; dim:
the pale moon.
faint or feeble; lacking vigor:
a pale protest.

verb (used without object)

paled, paling.

to become pale:
to pale at the sight of blood.
Synonyms: , , ,
Antonyms:
to seem less important, remarkable, etc., especially when compared with something else:
Platinum is so rare that even gold pales in comparison.

verb (used with object)

to make pale.

pale

[ peyl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a stake or picket, as of a fence.
an enclosing or confining barrier; enclosure.
an enclosed area.
limits; bounds:
outside the pale of his jurisdiction.
a district or region within designated bounds.
(initial capital letter)
1. Also called Eng·lish Pale [ing, -glish , peyl],. a district in eastern Ireland included in the Angevin Empire of King Henry II and his successors.
2. Also called Pale of Set·tle·ment [peyl, , uh, v , set, -l-m, uh, nt]. the territories in the Russian Empire in which Jews were allowed to live.
Heraldry. an ordinary in the form of a broad vertical stripe at the center of an escutcheon.
Shipbuilding. a shore used inside to support the deck beams of a hull under construction.

verb (used with object)

paled, paling.

to enclose with pales; fence.
to encircle or encompass.

pale

/ ��ɪ�� /

adjective

lacking brightness of colour; whitish
pale morning light
(of a colour) whitish; produced by a relatively small quantity of colouring agent
dim or wan
the pale stars
feeble
a pale effort
a euphemism for White

verb

to make or become pale or paler; blanch
introften foll bybefore to lose superiority or importance (in comparison to)
her beauty paled before that of her hostess

pale

/ ��ɪ�� /

noun

a wooden post or strip used as an upright member in a fence
an enclosing barrier, esp a fence made of pales
an area enclosed by a pale
a sphere of activity within which certain restrictions are applied
heraldry an ordinary consisting of a vertical stripe, usually in the centre of a shield
beyond the pale
outside the limits of social convention

verb

tr to enclose with pales

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˈ�貹��Ա��, noun
ˈ�貹��, adverb

Discover More

Other 51�Թ� Forms

�貹��l�� adverb
�貹��n�� noun

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of pale¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin pallidus pallid none

Origin of pale²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pal(e), paele, from Old French pal, pel “stake,” from Latin ��ܲ� “wooden pole, wooden peg, stake”; peel ³; pole ¹( def )

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of pale¹

C13: from Old French palle, from Latin pallidus pale, from �貹��ŧ�� to look wan

Origin of pale²

C14: from Old French pal, from Latin ��ܲ� stake; compare pole ¹

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

beyond the pale, beyond the limits of proper behavior, courtesy, protection, safety, etc.:
Their public comments are certainly beyond the pale.

More idioms and phrases containing pale

see beyond the pale .

Discover More

Synonym Study

Pale, pallid, wan imply an absence of color, especially from the human countenance. Pale implies a faintness or absence of color, which may be natural when applied to things, the pale blue of a violet, but when used to refer to the human face usually means an unnatural and often temporary absence of color, as arising from sickness or sudden emotion: pale cheeks. Pallid , limited mainly to the human countenance, implies an excessive paleness induced by intense emotion, disease, or death: the pallid lips of the dying man. Wan implies a sickly paleness, as after a long illness: wan and thin; the suggestion of weakness may be more prominent than that of lack of color: a wan smile.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A paramedic said "he was pale like a dead body".

From

Four days later Redick met with the media again, his face pale, while he worked to calmly describe what happened to him, to his family.

From

Another was left with darker skin than before - with a pale circle around her eyes, while a third has whitish scars on her lips and knees.

From

These revelations paled in comparison to the explosive details made by Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbour of Ms Smith, who turned state witness.

From

This Wales team - a pale imitation of the giants of the past - helped England look good.

From

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse