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Synonyms

fad

American  
[fad] / fæd /

noun

  1. a temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.

    Synonyms:
    rage, vogue, craze
fad 1 British  
/ fæd /

noun

  1. an intense but short-lived fashion; craze

  2. a personal idiosyncrasy or whim

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FAD 2 British  

noun

  1. biochem flavin adenine dinucleotide: an ester of riboflavin with ADP that acts as the prosthetic group for many flavoproteins See also FMN

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • faddish adjective
  • faddishness noun
  • faddism noun
  • faddist noun
  • fadlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of fad

1825–35; noun use of dial. fad to look after things, busy oneself with trifles, back formation from obsolete faddle to play with, fondle. See fiddle

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.

In the wake of an anticipated fiber craze that is expected to trump last year’s protein-maxxing dietary fad, chia seeds have become all the rage.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

He is deeply worried about “labor displacement” but overall, concludes it’s just too early to say whether AI is “a fad or an illusion”.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

Some have dismissed the gut-obsession as a passing fad - however many doctors think that our gut microbiome might affect a whole spectrum of things, from mental health to the likelihood of getting certain cancers.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

If AI-generated “musicians” like Breaking Rust are a passing fad, as Church suggests, it’s one that’s been 50 years in the making.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

Robbie had put down his trowel and stood to roll a cigarette, a hangover from his Communist Party time—another abandoned fad, along with his ambitions in anthropology, and the planned hike from Calais to Istanbul.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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.