faint

[ feynt ]

/ feɪnt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR faint ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, faint·er, faint·est.

lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.: a faint light; a faint color; a faint sound.

feeble or slight: faint resistance; faint praise; a faint resemblance.

feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness: faint with hunger.

lacking courage; cowardly; timorous: Faint heart never won fair maid.

Law. unfounded: a faint action.

verb (used without object)

to lose consciousness temporarily.

to lose brightness.

Archaic. to grow weak; lose spirit or courage.

noun

a temporary loss of consciousness resulting from a decreased flow of blood to the brain; a swoon: to fall into a faint.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of faint

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, past participle of faindre, variant of feindre to feign

SYNONYMS FOR faint

1 indistinct, ill-defined, dim, faded, dull,

2 faltering, irresolute, weak.

3 languid.

4 pusillanimous, fearful, timid, dastardly.

6 pass out, black out.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR faint ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM faint

faint·er, nounfaint·ing·ly, adverbfaint·ish, adjectivefaint·ish·ness, noun

faint·ly, adverbfaint·ness, nouno·ver·faint, adjectiveo·ver·faint·ly, adverbo·ver·faint·ness, nounun·faint·ing, adjectiveun·faint·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH faint

fain faint feign feint

Words nearby faint

faille, failure, fain, fainaigue, fainites, faint, faintheart, fainthearted, faints, fainty, fainéant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for faint

Her voice was raspy and after answering questions she paused, as if about to faint.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush|Sujay Kumar|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I saw a faint, sweet glimmer of the ferocious protector he once was.
No One Ever Loses to Cancer|Dushka Zapata|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this time I can plainly hear, through the rush of words, the faint rattle of hysteria that bespeaks a screw loose somewhere.
The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known|Ed McClanahan|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After about an hour, he hears a faint tapping sound from inside the freezer and opens the door.
Robin Williams, Hollywood’s Grand Jester, Is Dead at 63|Marlow Stern|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A fine book all around, but not a book for the faint of heart.
The Gestapo Still Sets the Bar for Evil|James A. Warren|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Holmes's comet of 1892 displayed only a faint prismatic band devoid of any characteristic feature.
A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century|Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke
On the model's face was her faint, impersonal professional smile that seemed to cover something like weariness or contempt.
The Trimmed Lamp|O. Henry
The ringmaster will half step forward to catch you before you faint.
Michael, Brother of Jerry|Jack London
But in another minute the beer had gone to his head, and a faint and even pleasant shiver ran down his spine.
Crime and Punishment|Fyodor Dostoevsky
At the words the girl looked up quickly at her father, a faint realization of his meaning striking her like a blow in the face.
The Monster Men|Edgar Rice Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for faint

faint

/ (feɪnt) /

adjective

lacking clarity, brightness, volume, etca faint noise

lacking conviction or force; weakfaint praise

feeling dizzy or weak as if about to lose consciousness

without boldness or courage; timid (esp in the combination faint-hearted)

not the faintest, not the faintest idea or not the faintest notion no idea whatsoeverI haven't the faintest

verb (intr)

to lose consciousness, esp momentarily, as through weakness

archaic, or poetic to fail or become weak, esp in hope or courage

noun

a sudden spontaneous loss of consciousness, usually momentary, caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the brainTechnical name: syncope

Derived forms of faint

fainter, nounfaintingly, adverbfaintish, adjectivefaintishness, noun

faintly, adverbfaintness, noun

Word Origin for faint

C13: from Old French, from faindre to be idle

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

Medical definitions for faint

faint

[ fānt ]

n.

An abrupt, usually brief loss of consciousness; an attack of syncope.

adj.

Extremely weak; threatened with syncope.

Other words from faint

faint v.

Idioms and Phrases with faint

faint

see damn with faint praise.

faint

adjective, faint·er, faint·est.

verb (used without object)

noun

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Origin of faint

SYNONYMS FOR faint

OTHER WORDS FROM faint

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH faint

Words nearby faint

Words related to faint

Example sentences from the Web for faint

British Dictionary definitions for faint

adjective

verb (intr)

noun

Derived forms of faint

Word Origin for faint

Medical definitions for faint

n.

adj.

Other words from faint

Idioms and Phrases with faint