fainthearted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- faintheartedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of fainthearted
First recorded in 1400–50, fainthearted is from late Middle English feynt hertyd. See faint, hearted
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even with Washington’s blessing, the trade isn’t for the fainthearted.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
Silver can be “extremely volatile,” and trading it is “not for the fainthearted or overleveraged,” Morrison said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 10, 2025
But it's not for the fainthearted - or the claustrophobic.
From BBC • May 8, 2024
You could call them unprincipled, opportunistic, cowardly, spineless, vacillating, fainthearted, jittery or dissolute.
From Salon • Dec. 12, 2019
The tunnel was full of whispers, as the foremost encouraged those behind, as the brave urged on the fainthearted, as the old gave hope to the young.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
