faint

[ feynt ]

/ feɪnt /

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See synonyms for: faint / fainted / fainter / fainting 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.

OTHER WORDS 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

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Origin of faint

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

OTHER WORDS FROM faint

fainter, nounfaint·ing·ly, adverbfaintish, adjectivefaint·ish·ness, noun

faintly, adverbfaintness, 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use faint in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
But in the matter of that wine—the faintest of smiles hovered on her lips, her eyebrows went up a shade.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Without any training in or natural bent for diplomacy, Aguinaldo had not the faintest idea of what foreign “protection” signified.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
But nothing was visible, she declared, and she heard not the faintest sound of an animal making off under cover of the darkness.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Well, I havent the faintest knowledge in which direction the entrance lies, Gale said candidly.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
It fell with the faintest splash, and there was a little puff of spray as his head dipped and the water washed across his lips.
The Gold Trail|Harold Bindloss

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 ]

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

adj.

Extremely weak; threatened with syncope.

Other words from faint

faint v.

Other Idioms and Phrases with faint

faint

see damn with faint praise.

faint

OTHER WORDS FOR faint

Origin of faint

OTHER WORDS FROM faint

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH faint

Words related to faint

How to use faint in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for faint

Derived forms of faint

Word Origin for faint

Medical definitions for faint

Other words from faint

Other Idioms and Phrases with faint