beyond the pale
English · Thesaurus
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beyond the pale
- /bɪˌjɒnd ðə ˈpeɪl/ UK
- /biˌ(j)ɑnd ðə ˈpeɪl/ US
Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From beyond + the + pale (“wooden stake, picket; fence made from wooden stakes, palisade; limit, boundary”). The phrase is often connected either to the Pale of Settlement, the part of the Russian Empire where Jews were permitted to settle, or to the English Pale, the part of Ireland that was directly subject to the English Crown in the Late Middle Ages. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, however, there is no evidence for either of these theories. The phrase is first attested in 1720, after the English Pale had ceased to exist and before the Pale of Settlement had been established.
phrase
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Of a person or their behaviour: outside the bounds of what is acceptable, or regarded as good judgment, morality, ethics, etc.
The very date which put them beyond the pale as belligerents was that which they seem to have chosen in order to prove what active and valiant soldiers they still remained.
Similar: out of bounds, off-limits, off the reservation, over the line · Opposite: within the pale
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Used other than as an idiom; generally followed by of: beyond the extent or limits.
Are they to be placed like devils beyond the pale of all human charities, and to be denied all kindly and benevolent offices?
Similar: out of bounds, off-limits · Opposite: within the pale
Translations
Every language
prep_phrase of a person or their behaviour: outside the bounds of what is acceptable, or regarded as good judgment, morality, etc.
| Español | al margen de la sociedad, clamar al cielo, fuera de lugar, mas allá de los límites, pasar de castaño oscuro, propasarse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 範囲外 han'igai, 常軌を逸した jōki o isshita |
| 中文 | 逾越常軌 /逾越常轨 yúyuè chángguǐ |
| Français | dépasser les bornes, inacceptable, inadmissible |
| Deutsch | eindeutig die Grenzen überschritten, indiskutabel, völlig indiskutabel, vollkommen inakzeptabel |
| Русский | вне ра́мок прили́чия vne rámok prilíčija |
Talk about this word "beyond the pale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/beyond%20the%20pale. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. beyond the pale. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/beyond%20the%20pale "beyond the pale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/beyond%20the%20pale.Cite this
@misc{beyond_the_pale_2026,
title = {beyond the pale},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/beyond%20the%20pale},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
