Old tales are rewritten (5)
I believe the answer is:
stale
'old' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)
'tales are rewritten' is the wordplay.
'are rewritten' is an anagram indicator.
'tales' with letters rearranged gives 'STALE'.
(Other definitions for stale that I've seen before include "no longer bearing interest?" , "Boring" , "No longer fresh" , "Old; musty" , "piss" .)