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

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for faintest

Contemporary Examples

And no matter how hard she might try, the 37-year-old Bany is unable to summon even the faintest memory of him.
34 Years Later, Gunshots Still Echo From a Senseless Killing
Michael Daly
March 11, 2013
It is thanks to that instant of grace that we can see even the faintest glimmer of light.
The Big Idea: Werner Loewenstein’s ‘Physics in Mind’
Werner Loewenstein
February 8, 2013
Salam blasts Obama for not having the “faintest clue how to prevent our slow-motion slide” into economic depression.
7 Great Takes on Obama’s Job Speech
The Daily Beast
September 10, 2011
No woman has shown the faintest interest in me in many years, except in a dutiful way if stuck next to me at a dinner party.
Charles Saatchi Answers Your Questions
The Daily Beast
May 31, 2010
There is only the faintest trace of nostalgia for her hometown, and little for American culture.
A Writer's International Wanderings
Susan Salter Reynolds
May 9, 2010

Historical Examples

There is no room for doubt in my mind, no faintest suspicion.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
The faintest whiff of stephanotis came to her on the lazy summer air.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
You took the right one—but I'm not—I haven't the faintest idea who you are.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
The faintest suspicion of a tinge of color crept into his cheeks.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
"What you'll say to John I haven't the faintest notion," she said.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter

British Dictionary definitions for faintest

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

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 faintest

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

v.

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

faintest in Medicine

faint

(fānt)

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

adj.

Extremely weak; threatened with syncope.

Related formsfaint v.

Idioms and Phrases with faintest

faint

see damn with faint praise.

faint

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for faintest

Contemporary Examples

And no matter how hard she might try, the 37-year-old Bany is unable to summon even the faintest memory of him.

It is thanks to that instant of grace that we can see even the faintest glimmer of light.

Salam blasts Obama for not having the “faintest clue how to prevent our slow-motion slide” into economic depression.

No woman has shown the faintest interest in me in many years, except in a dutiful way if stuck next to me at a dinner party.

There is only the faintest trace of nostalgia for her hometown, and little for American culture.

Historical Examples

There is no room for doubt in my mind, no faintest suspicion.

The faintest whiff of stephanotis came to her on the lazy summer air.

You took the right one—but I'm not—I haven't the faintest idea who you are.

The faintest suspicion of a tinge of color crept into his cheeks.

"What you'll say to John I haven't the faintest notion," she said.

faint

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for faintest

faint

adj.

faint

v.

faint

Idioms and Phrases with faintest

faint

Origin of faint