faint
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.
to lose consciousness temporarily.
to lose brightness.
Archaic. to grow weak; lose spirit or courage.
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
1Other words for faint
| 1 | indistinct, ill-defined, dim, faded, dull, 2 |
| faltering, irresolute, weak | 3 |
| languid | 4 |
| pusillanimous, fearful, timid, dastardly | 6 |
Other words from faint
- fainter, noun
- faint·ing·ly, adverb
- faintish, adjective
- faint·ish·ness, noun
- faintly, adverb
- faintness, noun
- o·ver·faint, adjective
- o·ver·faint·ly, adverb
- o·ver·faint·ness, noun
- un·faint·ing, adjective
- un·faint·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with faint
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use faint in a sentence
It’s a tricky job, because ORCS are very faint and difficult to find.
These ghostly circles in the sky came out of nowhere | By Ray Norris/The Conversation | December 4, 2020 | Popular-ScienceArecibo was more than an exquisitely sensitive ear tuned to pick up faint radio waves from deep space.
The Arecibo Observatory collapsed this week. What now? | Charlie Wood | December 4, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWith such a huge dish to collect radio waves, Arecibo could see very faint objects and phenomena.
I would frequently feel faint after standing for only a few minutes at a time.
As a food writer with covid, I worried I’d lose my sense of taste. It turned out to be much worse. | Tim Carman | November 29, 2020 | Washington PostMost stars are too far and too faint to show up as anything but a point.
Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened? | Lisa Grossman | November 29, 2020 | Science News
The system faintly evokes the charm of the Hogwarts houses—without a Sorting Hat, that is.
Says my wife, returning from the shower be-robed, towel-turbaned, and still smelling faintly of not-made-from-concentrate.
The facts are not faintly controversial for those who believe in reality: vaccination saves lives, families, and dollars.
Thank You, Croatia: All Hail Mandatory Vaccinations | Kent Sepkowitz | March 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe camera homes in on a young boy peering out the window, his face faintly visible through its steel security bars.
‘Web Junkie’ Is a Harrowing Documentary on China’s Internet Addiction Rehab Clinics | Marlow Stern | January 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf you listened closely during the bleep, you could faintly hear Jacqueline Bissett still giving her speech.
Golden Globes Recap: All the Best, Weirdest Moments You (May Have) Missed | Kevin Fallon | January 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST"Yes, Alessandro," she answered faintly, the gusts sweeping her voice like a distant echo past him.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonThere was a band playing down at Klein's hotel, and the strains reached them faintly, tempered by the distance.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinPresently the Hole-keeper stopped short and said, faintly, "It strikes me the sun is very hot here."
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylShe reached out and took the cigarette from Mrs. Kaye's faintly resisting hand.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonWinifred, indeed, in response to a question, said faintly that she thought she could keep going if she had a drink of milk.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
British Dictionary definitions for faint
/ (feɪnt) /
lacking clarity, brightness, volume, etc: a faint noise
lacking conviction or force; weak: faint 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 whatsoever: I haven't the faintest
to lose consciousness, esp momentarily, as through weakness
archaic, or poetic to fail or become weak, esp in hope or courage
a sudden spontaneous loss of consciousness, usually momentary, caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the brain: Technical name: syncope
Origin of faint
1Derived forms of faint
- fainter, noun
- faintingly, adverb
- faintish, adjective
- faintishness, noun
- faintly, adverb
- faintness, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with faint
see damn with faint praise.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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