faint

[feynt]

SEE MORE 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.

Origin of faint

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

Related formsfaint·er, nounfaint·ing·ly, adverbfaint·ish, adjectivefaint·ish·ness, nounfaint·ly, adverbfaint·ness, nouno·ver·faint, adjectiveo·ver·faint·ly, adverbo·ver·faint·ness, nounun·faint·ing, adjectiveun·faint·ly, adverb

Can be confusedfain faint feign feint

Synonyms for faint

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR faint ON THESAURUS.COM

1. indistinct, ill-defined, dim, faded, dull, 2. faltering, irresolute, weak. 3. languid. 4. pusillanimous, fearful, timid, dastardly. 6. pass out, black out.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for faint

dim, remote, dull, slight, inaudible, weak, hazy, soothing, gentle, mild, distant, muffled, far-off, soft, vague, delicate, muted, stifled, swoon, succumb

Examples from the Web for faint

Contemporary Examples of 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
I saw a faint, sweet glimmer of the ferocious protector he once was.
No One Ever Loses to Cancer
Dushka Zapata
October 8, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples of faint

With a faint shriek, Eudora sprung forward, and threw herself at his feet.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
But as Philothea bent over him, she perceived a faint pulsation of the heart.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The walls were done in white with a faint blue and silver stripe.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
"Thank you, no," returned the Persian, with a faint smile of his own.
A Night Out
Edward Peple
There was a rush and faint roar of the flame up the chimney as the cardboard burned.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand

British Dictionary definitions for faint

faint

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 Formsfainter, nounfaintingly, adverbfaintish, adjectivefaintishness, nounfaintly, 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

Word Origin and History for faint

adj.

c.1300, "wanting in courage," now mostly in faint-hearted (mid-15c.), from Old French feint "soft, weak, sluggish," past participle of feindre "hesitate, falter, be indolent, show weakness, avoid one's duty by pretending" (see feign). Sense of "weak, feeble" is early 14c. Meaning "producing a feeble impression upon the senses" is from 1650s.

"grow weak" (c.1300); "lose heart" (mid-14c.); see faint (adj.). Sense of "swoon" is c.1400. Related: Fainted; fainting.

faint in Medicine