pale
22
6.9
- adjective
- /peɪl/
:
pálido
- Years passed and Sparta was but a pale shadow of its former self, yet still the old lion held great respect.
- a pale imitation
- a pale reflection
- a pale shadow
But you also know that language is a pale shadow.
- But you also know that language is a pale shadow.
Examples
-
American scholars, Walker notes, see foreign contributions to U.S. history as a "pale reflection of the genuine article."
Academic text (1993) -
Under the previous regime, such institutions were a pale shadow of their prewar selves.
Academic text (1991) -
But you also know that language is a pale shadow.
-
Abstract ideas are pale things compared to those first bees and blossoms.
-
The modern Shepheard's is a pale imitation by comparison, though it still attracts the tourists.
Fiction book (2000) -
Affective collegiality, in Kasper's view, is a pale reflection of real collegiality.
Academic text (2002) -
Harmon was trying to grin, but his pale skin was suffused with a succession of easy blushes.
Fiction book (1990) -
Vernon is standing in the doorway, pale with shock, automatic clutched in his trembling hands.
Fiction book (1990) -
The film's plot was a pale version of the exciting book.
-
His presentation was a pale attempt to captivate the audience.
Synonyms
2
7.4
Not interesting or lively and often boring
Antonyms
584
3.4
Causing people to admire it, like a building or performance, because it is very good
Idioms
- Slur
A group that mostly has older white men and lacks diversity and new ideas
Compounds
- Specialized
A small insect that sucks sap from chrysanthemum plants and harms leaves and flowers
- Specialized
A plant with almost no leaves and pale yellow-green stems and flowers
- Specialized
A small leafy plant with cream or white flowers faintly marked with purple
How Lively
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word pale is also used for things that seem weak or not full of life, and a helpful way to remember this is to think of something 'losing color' and energy. So a pale performance or copy is one that feels weak or unimpressive.