faint

[ feynt ]

/ feɪnt /

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.

Nearby words

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR faint ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Can be confusedfain faint feign feint

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

Examples 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

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

Word Origin and History for faint (1 of 2)

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.

Word Origin and History for faint (1 of 2)

faint

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

Medicine definitions for faint

faint

[ fānt ]

n.

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

adj.

Extremely weak; threatened with syncope.

Related formsfaint v.

Idioms and Phrases with faint

faint

see damn with faint praise.

faint

adjective, faint·er, faint·est.

verb (used without object)

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of faint

Examples from the Web for faint

British Dictionary definitions for faint

faint

adjective

verb (intr)

noun

Word Origin for faint

Word Origin and History for faint (1 of 2)

faint

Word Origin and History for faint (1 of 2)

faint

Medicine definitions for faint

faint

n.

adj.

Idioms and Phrases with faint

faint