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 fainted

swoon, succumb, flicker, collapse, drop, fade, fall, fail, weaken, languish

Examples from the Web for fainted

Contemporary Examples of fainted

He fainted several times in the courtroom, yet the judge refused to allow doctors in the courtroom.
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Movements.Org
December 25, 2014
When he expresses concern over her bruised and disheveled appearance, she lies and tells him that she fainted.
How Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt Navigated Anna's Controversial Rape Arc
Kevin Fallon
August 14, 2014
A House of Lords spokesman refused to identify which of the boys had fainted.
Thump! Audible Crash As Queen's Page Boy Collapses At Opening of Parliament
Tom Sykes
June 4, 2014
He was in very horrible condition, and I fainted onto the tarmac and had a head injury that resulted in a concussion.
Munib Masri: An Arafat Ally Looks Back
Anna Therese Day
November 13, 2013
But once there, the men drugged Northup—he was not intoxicated, he said—and after a night of agony he fainted.
The ‘12 Years a Slave’ Book Shows Slavery As Even More Appalling Than In the Film
Jimmy So
October 18, 2013

Historical Examples of fainted

If you had not fainted so quickly, then I should have told you what I must tell you now.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
Dick rushed to him at once, but he saw that he had only fainted from loss of blood.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
I suppose I fainted, for when I opened my eyes I was all alone.
The Comrade In White
W. H. Leathem
When the curtain slowly rose I thought I should have fainted.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
While dressing I fainted three times, but I was determined to play quand-mme.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for fainted

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 fainted

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.

faint

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

fainted in Medicine

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 fainted

faint

see damn with faint praise.