stale

/steɪl/
verb
  1. To become stale or less fresh.
    • Don't let the cake stale; wrap it tightly.
    • The bread stales faster in a dry climate.
    • If you leave the cookies out, they will stale quickly.
adjective
  1. (of food) no longer fresh, dry, or hard, often because it has been exposed to air for too long.
    • The bread was stale, so I used it to make croutons.
    • I don't like stale chips; they taste soft and chewy.
    • She threw away the stale crackers that had been sitting in the cupboard.
  2. No longer new, interesting, or effective; boring because of overuse.
    • I'm tired of the same stale arguments in every meeting.
    • The company's marketing campaign has become stale and needs a fresh approach.
    • The comedian's jokes felt stale after hearing them so many times.
  3. (of air or a room) having an unpleasant smell because of lack of fresh air.
    • He opened the window to let out the stale air.
    • The basement had a stale, musty odor.
    • The room smelled stale after being closed up all winter.
Synonyms
Antonyms