How to Use pale in a Sentence

pale

1 of 3 adjective
  • The walls were painted a pale blue.
  • She grew pale with fright.
  • Her illness had left her pale and weak.
  • She has a pale complexion.
  • Are you feeling well? You look pale.
  • The crust should still be pale.
    — Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The floors were made of pale gray wood.
    — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Dolls have pale or peach-toned faces.
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • None at all leaves plants pale and slow.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Slice the pale rind away from the red flesh.
    — Laura McLively, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • That said, small doesn’t have to mean pale.
    — Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Dark red hearts drift across their pearly, pale pink base.
    — Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Her sons matched her in dark blue suits with pale blue ties.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
  • His dad looked skinny and pale.
    — Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Sarah sets her pale eyes on the trainer.
    — Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Their blanc de noirs ($36) has a pale pink hue.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Opt for an ultra-pale blue shift with white nail art.
    — Rebecca Norris, InStyle, 8 June 2026
  • None at all leaves plants pale, slow and prone to disease.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • At this point, the sausages should be fully cooked but still pale.
    — Joe Sevier, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 June 2026
  • Hazel, her eyes taking on a blind look, was pale with rage.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
  • The legs of the males are pale tan, while the torso is a dark blue.
    — Chloe Chapin, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The star picked a pale peach blazer, lacy top and wide-leg pants.
    — Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
  • In contrast, Masha is pale white.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Ratty pale jeans, band T-shirt.
    — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Its form is rounded with pale pink to rose flowers.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Obvious signs are torn edges and brown or pale tips.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 June 2026
  • Some are accented with white or pale pink hues.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Rose aphids are pale pink or very light green and only about one-eighth inch long.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 May 2026
  • That is the flavor, more so than the pale green color.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
  • Think pale hues with a sober gray tint or tranquil neutrals.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2026

pale

2 of 3 verb
  • But many were starting to pale, and some showed signs of rapid tissue loss.
    — Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Soon the prominent red scars that marked each knee began to pale.
    — Sherry Mendelson, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2022
  • But all of the past changes could pale in comparison to what comes next.
    — Justin Pot, The Atlantic, 11 July 2023
  • As my daughter’s face paled, and a man in a clown mask stalked the aisles, panic seized my limbs.
    — Christa Carmen, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Their colors range from white to pale yellow to deep hues of orange, red, and pink.
    — Terri Robertson, Country Living, 27 Jan. 2023
  • But any change in size would pale in significance compared to a change in access.
    — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
  • The milky absence of color has been compared in flattering ways to pale skin.
    — Maria Teresa Hart, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2022
  • But all that might pale in comparison to what happened in spring training.
    — Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2022
  • But even if this is hot strike summer, this year’s surge in work stoppages still pales in comparison to decades past.
    — Alyssa Fowers, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023
  • All those figures pale in comparison to the fees coming Diesel’s way.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2022
  • If that’s the case, the stakes of its fight with the Pentagon may pale in comparison with what’s to come.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Anything that could have gone wrong with the broadcast, of course, pales in comparison to the risk that was present for riders.
    — Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
  • But the payment of the policies paled in significance to when the policies were issued.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Morgan isn’t done shopping, although any other deals will pale in comparison to those first two.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • These preparations blanch the normally deep burgundy tissue to pale fleshy color that’s not quite tan and not quite pink.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 13 May 2022
  • The cost of additional bus service would pale compared to a gondola.
    — Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024
  • Yet for all the opulence now in his life, Khaled’s bank pales in comparison to those of peers like Drake.
    — Shirley Halperin, Variety, 21 June 2023
  • Phoenix and southern Arizona may pale in comparison to the high country, but there could be some snow in those places, too.
    — The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2023
  • That number could pale in comparison to the number of people who still need to be saved Thursday.
    — Holly Yan, CNN, 29 Sep. 2022
  • Her sophomore season was good by most standards, but paled in comparison to her freshman season.
    — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
  • But those issues pale in comparison to changing the mindset of many who live in RVs.
    — Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2023
  • That paled in comparison to a 6-degree increase in temperate zones – that’s twice as high.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026
  • The tax bill, however, probably would pale in comparison to the amount of debt discharged.
    — Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2023
  • Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities.
    — James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • But those numbers pale in comparison to the haul by Saudi Aramco.
    — Julia Horowitz, CNN, 15 Aug. 2022
  • Both Barbie boyfriends glow in bright turquoise outfits, though their clothes pale in comparison to both guys' sets of piercing, ocean-blue eyes.
    — Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2023
  • The sales numbers at both stores paled in comparison to the gaudy numbers at local food and drink establishments.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • But even these consequences pale next to the fallout from putting the Amazon’s carbon back into the atmosphere.
    — Alex Cuadros, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2023
  • The genus not only features flowers ranging from white to pale pink and bright pink to red, purple and blue, but the foliage offers variety, too.
    — Earl Nickel, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Aug. 2022
  • For the golfers, Sunday will likely pale in comparison to Saturday in terms of crowd sizes.
    — Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2023

pale

3 of 3 noun
  • The court found that was beyond the pale.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Some things do seem beyond the pale to this group.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 28 May 2026
  • But the idea of keeping all those guys is just beyond the pale.
    — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2022
  • Leaves that are leggy or pale are also signs your plant needs more light.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
  • What might have been ground-breaking once might soon be seen to be beyond the pale.
    — Roger Trapp, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
  • The 2015 defense pales to no one.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Koffi watched the fractured sky above her pale as night yielded to dawn.
    — Ew Staff, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2021
  • In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute.
    — Star Tribune, 9 Dec. 2020
  • But all of this pales in comparison to the rise of agentic tools.
    — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
  • In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 2 minutes.
    — Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2020
  • Be sure to stir frequently and keep an eye on the heat—these can go from pale to burnt pretty quickly.
    — June Kim, Bon Appétit, 30 June 2022
  • The cicadas, once pale, were now golden and browned, their signature eyes turned black from the heat.
    — Haley Weiss, The Atlantic, 31 May 2021
  • Lace detailing was a big theme and became the front of a baggy pale tracksuit top.
    — Thomas Adamson, ajc, 1 Oct. 2022
  • So many Libyans seem to exist beyond the pale of his sympathy.
    — New York Times, 30 July 2021
  • Add eggs and vanilla; beat on high speed until pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
    — People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 2 Aug. 2022
  • The chocolate chip cookies should be golden brown on the edges and a little pale in the center.
    — Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2020
  • The finest artisans will give their customer a gentle nudge when an idea goes beyond the pale.
    — Mark Cho, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2021
  • The dovecote at the peak of the roof and the pale-yellow siding were overseen by one older man.
    — Emma Alpern, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Father was turning green-pale now, as a shadow moved across his face and beads of pearl sweat bubbled on his face.
    — Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Calls for migrants to be shot and places of worship to be razed would be beyond the pale in most democracies.
    — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2020
  • The Republic turns a sickly pale.
    — Big Think, 4 May 2026
  • Add flour and cook, stirring, until pale and begins to foam, 1 to 2 minutes.
    — Erika Dugan and Kate Merker, Country Living, 5 Apr. 2020
  • His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale.
    — Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 16 Sep. 2020
  • For their son, long hours in the gym pale in comparison to the sacrifices his parents have made for him.
    — Marco Cummings, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2020
  • Every other player in college football pales compared to the want-to-see hype.
    — Eduardo Razo, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The increase in driving stats, though, pales in comparison to his growth in the moments.
    — Devin Bradshaw, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The vibrant hue is the perfect contrast against the tween's pale, almost ghost-like skin complexion.
    — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 27 July 2022
  • The same ultimately has to be said of the abusive treatment at the border in ways that are just beyond the pale.
    — NBC News, 16 Jan. 2021
  • But the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have taught us that the land beyond the pale is crowded.
    — Lindsey Hilsum, The New York Review of Books, 15 June 2021
  • No disrespect to the academy, but it sort of pales in comparison to this.
    — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: