fainthearted

[ feynt-hahr-tid ]

/ ˈfeɪntˈhɑr tɪd /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fainthearted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lacking courage; cowardly; timorous.

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RELATED WORDS

afraid, cowardly, fearful, frightened, gutless, intimidated, lily-livered, meek, mousy, spineless, weak, yellow, cowed, cowering, unassertive, wimpy

Nearby words

fainites, faint, faint-hearted, faintest, faintheart, fainthearted, faintheartedly, faintified, fainting, faintly, faintness

Origin of fainthearted

First recorded in 1400–50, fainthearted is from the late Middle English word feynt hertyd. See faint, hearted

Related formsfaint·heart·ed·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for fainthearted

Defraud not the poor of his living: and be not fainthearted when thou sittest in judgment.
The Worlds Greatest Books, Volume XIII.|Various
Sometimes the very opposite is in place; and so Paul writes, "Encourage the fainthearted."
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians|James Denney
It gave to the brave the most daring heroism, and inspired the fainthearted with the courage of despair.
The Martyr of the Catacombs|Anonymous
The word rendered "fainthearted" is only used in this single passage; yet every one knows what it means.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians|James Denney

But exactly what God was teaching and training him to be, was not to be fainthearted—not to be terrified.
Sermons on National Subjects|Charles Kingsley