Definitions
01light in color
A2 · Elementary
adj. having a color that is very light or close to white.
adj. of a light or low-intensity color; lacking depth or saturation of hue.
“The walls were painted a pale yellow that made the room feel bright.”
“The artist used a pale wash of watercolor to suggest the hazy atmosphere of the morning sky.”
02complexion
A2 · Elementary
adj. having a face that is lighter than usual, often because you are sick, tired, or scared.
adj. having a skin tone that is lighter than normal, typically due to physiological factors such as illness, shock, or lack of sunlight.
“You look very pale; are you feeling okay?”
“He grew pale when the doctor delivered the news, his face losing all its natural color in an instant.”
Synonyms
03to become less important
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to seem less important or impressive when compared to something else.
v. to decrease in relative importance, intensity, or brilliance, especially when contrasted with something superior.
“My problems pale in comparison to what they are going through.”
“The local festival's fireworks display pales in comparison to the spectacular show held in the capital every New Year.”
Usage
Usually used in the phrase 'pale in comparison to'.
Antonyms
04a wooden stake
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Technical
n. a pointed wooden post used to make a fence.
n. a wooden stake or picket used as a component of a fence or palisade.
“The garden was surrounded by a fence made of wooden pales.”
“The archaeological team uncovered the remains of a defensive wall constructed from sharpened oak pales driven deep into the earth.”
05limits or boundaries
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal
n. a limit or boundary of what is acceptable.
n. a metaphorical boundary or limit, especially regarding social or moral acceptability.
“His rude behavior at the wedding was simply beyond the pale.”
“The senator's comments were considered beyond the pale by members of both political parties, leading to a formal censure.”
Usage
Commonly found in the idiom 'beyond the pale'.
Teaching tip
The phrase 'beyond the pale' is the most common modern use of this noun sense; it describes behavior that is totally unacceptable.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pale” in context.
Verb
01. look pale
“You look pale; are you feeling okay or do you need to sit down?”
verb + adj
02. pale in comparison
“My problems pale in comparison to the challenges she has faced this year.”
verb + prep + noun
03. turn pale
“His face turned pale when he heard the bad news about the accident.”
verb + adj
Adjective
04. deathly pale
“The patient was deathly pale after losing a lot of blood.”
adv + adj
05. pale blue
“She chose a pale blue dress to wear to the summer wedding.”
adj + noun
06. pale skin
“People with pale skin need to be very careful in the sun.”
adj + noun
Preposition
07. beyond the pale
“His rude behavior at the party was completely beyond the pale.”
prep + noun
08. pales in comparison
Real-World Examples
“For the ancient Greeks and Romans a pale complexion was deemed the most desirable.” “Paul and Sheena Wain were on their way to the Maldives for vacation — but when they tried to check in for their flight in Manchester, England, the airline turned them down, saying their 14-year-old daughter Grace appeared pale, maybe sick.” “Pantone, which in 2015 had declared “Rose Quartz” the color of the year for 2016, acknowledged the hue’s staying power by listing a lighter version of it — dubbed, ahem, “Pale Dogwood” — in its Spring 2017 fashion color report.” Etymology
Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin pallidus Old French palebor. Middle English pale English pale From Middle English pale, from Old French pale, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”), from palleō (“to be pale; to grow pale; to fade”), from Proto-Indo-European pelito-, from pelH- (“gray”). Doublet of pallid. Displaced native Old English blāc.
From Middle English pale, pal, borrowed from Old French pal, from Latin pālus (“stake, prop”). English inherited the word pole (or, rather Old English pāl) from a much older Proto-Germanic borrowing of the same Latin word. Doublet of peel and pole.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
02. pale rider
In Literature
Pale Fire · 1962-04-25 · Postmodern fiction
- Author:
- Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov’s postmodern masterpiece centers on a 999-line poem and a complex academic commentary written by the narrator, Charles Kinbote. The title refers to the way the moon steals its light from the sun, reflecting the story's themes of imitation and the relationship between a primary work and its secondary analysis.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/pale
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0