A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

PALES

Fri, 1 Mar '24
Is not so important, comparatively speaking
Sat, 10 Feb '24
Loses color
Tue, 26 Dec '23
Lightens up?
Sun, 8 Oct '23
Blanches
Tue, 11 Jul '23
Doesn't measure up, so to speak
Wed, 31 Mar '21
Becomes less important by comparison