fain
Americanadverb
adjective
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They were fain to go.
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Archaic. constrained; obliged.
He was fain to obey his Lord.
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Archaic. glad; pleased.
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Archaic. desirous; eager.
adverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of fain
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fæg(e)n; cognate with Old Norse feginn “happy”; akin to fair 1
Explanation
The old-fashioned adverb fain describes the manner of gladly or willingly doing something. You would fain have stayed home, but you had to venture out in the rain. Fain comes from the Old English fægen, meaning "happy, glad, or well pleased." When you're fain to do something, you are happy to do it, like when you're exhausted and would fain take a nap. Sometimes fain is also used as an adjective to describe someone obligated or willing to do something: "He was fain to hand over half the lemonade stand money to his little brother."
Vocabulary lists containing fain
Romeo and Juliet
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Julius Caesar
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Fain prevailed by advertising the rich contracts the UAW had recently reached with Detroit’s Big Three car makers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
Mr Fain was just one of several labour leaders to pledge support for Ms Harris at the DNC on Monday.
From BBC • Aug. 20, 2024
"Both of those men walked the picket line with our workers this past fall and they've always been there for working class people," Fain told CNN.
From Salon • Aug. 6, 2024
“He’s stood with the working class every step of the way, and has walked the walk, including on a UAW picket line last fall,” Fain said in a statement.
From Slate • Aug. 6, 2024
I said, Fain would I alter the Past and keep Dick Sharpe from our Company.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
