stale
Example Sentences
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Most comedies plummet halfway through their second act, when the jokes get stale, and studios demand some kind of emotional stakes.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
The model was trained to segregate the “pure news” in each article from that which was old and stale and, therefore, predictable.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026
"I had no one to talk to all day -- to the point my mouth almost felt stale from not speaking. But then this little one came along and chatters with me all the time."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
A former soldier in Ukraine said geospatial intelligence was sometimes so stale by the time it reached the units at the front line, soldiers couldn’t act on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
And so by the time I met Aziz, she was the old woman who offered stale candy and whose house smelled like sadness.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
The debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza is staler than a three-day-old Domino’s slice.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 31, 2022
They're the perfect base for this croissant bread pudding and in fact, the staler, the better.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2022
“Under the Silver Lake” is rarely uninteresting, but it smells a little staler than it should.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2019
Don’t be fooled by the fancy packaging, though: Rarely in the history of Broadway has a bigger, staler nothingburger been served up than “Pretty Woman.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2018
Nothing in the theatre is staler than the situation of husband, wife and lover, or the fun of knockabout farce.
From How He Lied to Her Husband by Shaw, Bernard
The stalest reality show becomes, in her telling, a Talmudic feat: “There is a tribunal of scholars who teaches them how to sing!” she tells Shulem breathlessly.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 14, 2019
Luckily, so expert is Firth’s timing—like that of Emma Thompson, as Bridget’s obstetrician—that laughs, often of the rueful variety, can be conjured in the stalest scenes.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 16, 2016
That old-as-the-Rialto story line is — bear with me — what’s new in this “Shuffle Along,” the part written by Mr. Wolfe, and it’s what feels stalest.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2016
When you compete in a multiplayer shooter and you are at a disadvantage until you unlock better weapons; that's the stalest of crust.
From The Verge ● Oct. 28, 2015
Why, great Scott, Ellins," goes on Megrue enthusiastic, "don't you know that buried treasure stuff is the stalest kind of tourist bait in use on the whole Florida coast?
From Wilt Thou Torchy by Ford, Sewell
Traditionally, sourdough or challah that has staled a bit is used for French toast.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2022
As it staled, I toasted pieces under the broiler and dipped these into runny egg yolks.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2022
Hers features an any-nut frangipane you can slather onto staled panettone, croissants, brioche or even white bread and top with your choice of nuts and fruit.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 20, 2021
The clerk’s disinterest practically staled the air, their voice over the speaker the droning whine of a giant, bored nose.
From Slate ● May 29, 2018
If the Preacher really had staled Mr. Leroy’s money, seemed to me like he’d try to make hisself real hard.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
"The inclusion of legume flours slows staling associated with gluten-free breads due to the resistant starch content of legumes," said Lowe.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2022
And from a wise Italian nonna, Antonietta Fazone, I learned that toasting bread, versus staling it on the counter overnight, it is preferable for preserving its flavor.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2021
Toasting had preserved the flavor, while staling had not.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2021
The retrogradation of wheat starch in bread is responsible for staling.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2016
Their ways would never do for people who want to have done with lying and staling, and have always kept themselves clane from striopachas.
From Wild Wales The People, Laguage & Scenery by Borrow, George Henry
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