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.
In vain the kindly call: in vain The plate for which thou once wast fain At morn and noon and daylight’s wane, O King of mousers.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2023
“Ah, good my lords, what a nose is his! When one sees it, one is fain to cry aloud, ‘Nay! ’tis too much!’”
From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2022
‘I will,’ said he, ‘finish my business in Sogn and Hordaland, for I would fain in the summer take my ship out to Iceland.’
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2019
I fain recall a most distressing followup, which, I am sure, would equal or exceed any after effects of home-stirred apple butter.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Boys, do not...—Mr. Gitney would fain not be disturbed.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" 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.
