faint

1 of 3

adjective

fainter; faintest
1
a
: hardly perceptible : dim
faint handwriting
b
: vague sense 2a
haven't the faintest idea
2
: weak, dizzy, and likely to faint
sick and faint from the painJack London
3
: lacking courage and spirit : cowardly
faint of heart
4
: lacking strength or vigor : performed, offered, or accomplished weakly or languidly
faint praise
a faint smile on her lips
5
: producing a sensation of faintness : oppressive
the faint atmosphere of a tropical port
faintish adjective
faintishness noun
faintly adverb
faintness noun

faint

2 of 3

verb

fainted; fainting; faints

intransitive verb

1
: to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain
2
archaic : to lose courage or spirit
3
archaic : to become weak

faint

3 of 3

noun

: the physiological action of fainting
also : the resulting condition : syncope sense 1

Examples of faint in a Sentence

Adjective We heard a faint noise. the faint glow of a distant light There was a faint smile on her lips. There's just a faint chance that the weather will improve by tomorrow. a faint reminder of their former greatness I'd better lie down; I feel faint. She felt faint from hunger. Verb He always faints at the sight of blood. She almost fainted from the pain. She suffers from fainting spells. Noun shocking news can cause a person to fall into a faint
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
As well as aurora often being faint, they’re hugely affected by light pollution. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 The asteroid will be too small and faint to be spotted with amateur telescopes and binoculars, according to Space.com. Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2024
Verb
Their expulsion stems from not being able to sit correctly on a velvet fainting couch. Emma Allen, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 Visibility might range from bright and relatively high in the sky to faint and low on the Northern Horizon (maybe only visible with long-exposure camera shots), or even not visible at all. Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
More From The Post Man faints while driving 70 mph on highway. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 25 July 2024 The film was not for the faint of stomach, with several graphic, gory scenes — but Lanthimos’ absurdist humor ensured there was also a good amount of laughter from the crowd. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 18 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for faint 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English feint, faynt "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit or courage, listless, wearied, feeble, pale," borrowed from Anglo-French, "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit, weak," from present participle of feindre, faindre "to make, fabricate, pretend, dissemble, lose heart, fade" — more at feign

Verb

Middle English feinten, faynten "to pretend, lack spirit, become enfeebled, grow weak, fade," verbal derivative of feint, faynt "deceiving, lacking in spirit, wearied" — more at faint entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of faint entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1792, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of faint was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near faint

Cite this Entry

“Faint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faint. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

faint

1 of 3 adjective
1
: timid, cowardly
faint heart
2
: being weak, dizzy, and likely to collapse
feel faint
3
: lacking strength : weak
faint praise
4
a
: not clear or plain : dim
faint cries for help
b
: vague sense 2
haven't the faintest idea
faintly adverb
faintness noun

faint

2 of 3 verb
: to lose consciousness

faint

3 of 3 noun
: an act or condition of fainting

Medical Definition

faint

1 of 3 adjective
: weak, dizzy, and likely to faint

faint

2 of 3 intransitive verb
: to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain

faint

3 of 3 noun
: the physiological action of fainting
also : the resulting condition : syncope

More from Merriam-Webster on faint

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