staling
Losing its freshness
Staling is the process by which baked goods lose freshness and become stale.
Bread stales not primarily through moisture loss but through starch retrogradation—the crystallization of starch molecules over time.
The staling of the baguette was accelerated by refrigeration.
The term appears mainly in food science contexts.
Form-giving container
- deteriorateGrow worse over time
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- dryFree from moisture
- crumbleFragment gradually
wilt · desiccate · sour · wither · shrivel · rot · decompose · spoil
State of being unspoiled
hardening · moisture · texture · bakery · dryness · chewy · crouton · breadcrumb
Without movement or progress
- flatLacking vertical variation
- mustyStale from dampness
- airlessHaving no atmosphere
- stuffyLacking fresh air
dull · lifeless · old · faded · tired · worn · dated · lackluster
No longer in use
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- clichédOverused to meaninglessness
overused · worn-out · tired · unoriginal · banal · passé · predictable · repetitive
mold
Form-giving container
- deteriorateGrow worse over time
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- dryFree from moisture
crumble · wilt · desiccate · sour · wither · shrivel · rot · decompose · spoil · rancid
freshness
State of being unspoiled
baguette · hardening · moisture · texture · bakery · dryness · chewy · crouton · breadcrumb · toast
stagnant
Without movement or progress
stuffy · dull · lifeless · old · faded · tired · worn · dated · lackluster · vapid
outdated
No longer in use
clichéd · overused · worn-out · tired · unoriginal · banal · passé · predictable · repetitive · derivative
stalingfreshening
Making more lively
refreshing · reviving · moistening · keeping fresh · softening
stalingrotting
Organic matter decomposing
molding · spoiling · fermenting · decomposing · putrefying