faint Definition
faint (fānt)
adjective
- without strength; weak; feeble
- without courage or hope; timid
- done without strength, vigor, or enthusiasm; halfhearted
- feeling weak and dizzy, as if about to swoon
- dim; indistinct; unclear
- far from certain a faint chance
Etymology: ME feint < OFr, sluggish, orig. pp. of feindre: see feign
noun
- a condition of temporary loss of consciousness as a result of an inadequate flow of blood to the brain; swoon
- the crude, impure spirits given off in the first and last stages of the distillation of liquor
intransitive verb
- to fall into a faint; swoon: often with away
- Archaic
- to weaken; languish
- to lose courage or hope
faint Related Forms
faint Synonyms
faint
modif.
Having little physical strength
Having little brightness or color
dim, vague, indistinct, hazy; see dull 2.Having little volume of sound
inaudible, indistinct, whispered, breathless, murmuring, low, stifled, dull, dim, muted, hoarse, muttering, soft, soothing, bated, heard in the distance, quiet, low-pitched, low-toned, muffled, hushed, padded, distant, subdued, gentle, softened, feeble, from afar, moderate, grave, deep, deadened, rumbling, heavy, far-off, flat, thin, aside, between the teeth, floating on the air, dulcet, imperceptible, out of earshot.
faint Synonyms
faint Synonyms
faint
v.
faint Usage Examples
Preposition: at
sight: On the table is one of his inventions - a chicken which has been trained to faint at the sight of a fox.
Modifies a noun
- whiff: There is not even a faint whiff of fried potatoes.
- glimmer: There it is, a faint glimmer of hope.
- glow: The dwarf remained seeing the faint glow from torches onboard their prey long against the cold backdrop of night.
- praise: You know, that line about damning with faint praise?
- echo: The music is equally provocative with faint echoes of Genesis in the quiet of the opening passages.
- wisp: A faint white wisp, something very much like a small cloud, was drifting along the beach.
Modifying Another Word
- nearly: Really enjoyed the night - except for nearly fainting from the heat.
- almost: Chapter Five Truth will Tell Lucy's heart missed a beat and she almost fainted when she stepped into her room.
- too: White dwarfs are much too faint to be seen directly with the naked eye.
- extremely: In our Solar System the remaining dust scatters sunlight to create an extremely faint glow called the zodiacal light.
- very: The corona is very faint relative to the main body of the sun.
- however: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age all left their mark, however faint, on the area.
Used with why or when
when: She had problems with her nerves and then my son began to faint when he was working in the fields.
Used with adjective complement
- feel: They tend to lower the blood pressure, which can make people feel faint.
- grow: The image of shades is because these dead souls have grown faint through the absence of God's light in Hell.
- appear: Thus Jupiter appears faint whilst the Moon itself is slightly over exposed.
Preposition: of
- heart: However, the evening is not for the faint of heart.
- touch: With five minutes to go, Sozzo got the faintest of touches on a through-ball that went into the side-netting.
Preposition: with
hunger: I felt it would be degrading to faint with hunger on the causeway of a hamlet.
Browse dictionary entries near faint
- ‹ fainéant
- ‹ fain
- ‹ failure of issue
- ‹ failure of consideration
- ‹ failure
- ‹ faille
- ‹ failing
- ‹ fail-safe
- ‹ fail
- ‹ faience
- faint pleader ›
- fainthearted ›
- fair ›
- fair ball ›
- fair catch ›
- fair comment ›
- fair copy ›
- fair game ›
- fair-haired ›
- fair hearing ›

