faint
Americanadjective
-
lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc..
a faint light;
a faint color;
a faint sound.
- Synonyms:
- dull, dim, ill-defined, indistinct
-
feeble or slight.
faint resistance;
faint praise;
a faint resemblance.
- Synonyms:
- weak, irresolute
-
feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness.
faint with hunger.
- Synonyms:
- languid
-
lacking courage; cowardly; timorous.
Faint heart never won fair maid.
- Synonyms:
- dastardly, timid, fearful, pusillanimous
-
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
adjective
-
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 )
-
no idea whatsoever
I haven't the faintest
verb
-
to lose consciousness, esp momentarily, as through weakness
-
archaic to fail or become weak, esp in hope or courage
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
fainternoun
-
faintishnessnoun
-
faintnessnoun
-
overfaintnessnoun
-
faintishadjective
-
overfaintadjective
-
unfaintingadjective
-
faintinglyadverb
-
faintlyadverb
-
overfaintlyadverb
-
unfaintlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
faintsimple
-
faintssimple
-
have faintedperfect
-
has faintedperfect
-
am faintingprogressive
-
are faintingprogressive
-
is faintingprogressive
-
have been faintingperfect progressive
-
has been faintingperfect progressive
Past
-
faintedsimple
-
had faintedperfect
-
was faintingprogressive
-
were faintingprogressive
-
had been faintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of faint
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French: literally, “feigned,” past participle of faindre, feindre “to feign”; see feign
Explanation
Something faint has no courage or vigor. If you suddenly round the corner and see a gang of bullies staring straight at you, chances are you'll feel faint. Faint comes from the French feindre, for being cowardly or shirking duties. We usually use it to mean without great strength. If you faint, you pass out, from low blood supply to your brain. If you feel faint, you feel weak. Faint also means dim or vague. If you're staring out to sea, you might see the faint outline of an approaching ship. If you really can't remember the answer to something, say you "haven't the faintest idea."
Vocabulary lists containing faint
Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
See Examples For:
“Apocalypse Now” on the 405 is not for the faint of heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
After watching a competitor faint from hunger during a fight, she said, she insisted it was time to leave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Another call takes Charlotte and Connor to a sheltered housing development and an elderly resident who is feeling faint.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Their faint light is also easily confused with that of much closer stars in our own galaxy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
My heart is beating so fast I’m worried I might faint or throw up or both.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Yasser regularly faints when she tries to stand.
From Barron's ● Mar. 22, 2026
When Louise, angling for attention, participates in her church’s Inner Beauty pageant, her talent is holding her breath until she faints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
In the pilot, the third-year medical student faints the first time in the exam room and has painfully awkward exchanges with her peers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
O’Sullivan determined that Darcie was suffering psychosomatic seizures and faints, very real but not caused by a physical problem.
From Salon ● May 13, 2025
Only after she genuinely faints during a session, rather than perfectly executing the choreographed dramatic swoon, does he relent to a respite at their home in New York.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
This proposed system would detect much fainter light sources and offer significantly higher resolution, reducing uncertainty about global lighting trends.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2026
Most cell phones now use two GPS frequency bands -- one that is older and fainter, and a second that is newer and stronger.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
However, visibility could be affected by bright moonlight from the recent Sturgeon Moon, making it harder to see the fainter streaks.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2025
He told them rescue dogs that find bodies at disaster sites can also be trained to detect the fainter scent of a person who had been dead for years, even someone who had been cremated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
Gary Drake and Ross Wilcox might’ve been slagging me off, but the fainter the voices became, the less I wanted to go back.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
K2-18b may be silent for now, but scientists are steadily improving their ability to detect even the faintest signs of technology beyond our solar system if they are ever there to be heard.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
By the late 1960s, "he wasn't in the faintest a shy person", Kasmin recalled.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Is there the faintest suggestion in the room that, if you do this, you won’t get older?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2025
Even the faintest irritation, say a restaurant chain tinkering with its logo, can summon thousands to the same digital square.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2025
There was the faintest trace of longing in his voice as he looked at the Elder Wand.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
I learned about chocolatines last year from the Journal’s Joshua Robinson, who fainted from embarrassment when I walked into a Toulouse patisserie and ordered a “chocolatini,” like it was happy hour at an airport Chili’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Charlie Paddock, 27, from south London, also said she "nearly fainted twice and the hot flushes were unreal", while Jess Allingham, 26, said she was "absolutely exhausted, more than normal", and had "total brain fog".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
One 32-year-old Berliner, Diane, told AFP she had fainted from the heat once already, despite drinking three litres of water.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Last year, Price fainted while appearing at a groundbreaking for the upgrade of the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is located in his district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
One day while Mollie fanned her papa, she fainted from the heat.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
As it worsens, however, it can lead to fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, heart failure, and in some cases premature death.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Pilgrims perform most of the hajj's rites outdoors where more than a million devotees gather in stifling conditions, with many attendees succumbing to heatstroke, fainting spells and even cardiac arrest triggered by the heat.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Her condition makes her prone to fainting if she stands for long periods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
It usually only needs treatment if it's causing symptoms, which may include dizziness, fainting or feeling like you're about to faint; chest pain, tiredness or shortness of breath.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Mr. Gregory said I might have to tone it down a bit since we didn't want people in the first two rows fainting away.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
