1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

fain 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfān How to pronounce fain (audio)
Definition of fainnext
as in willing
having a desire or inclination (as for a specified course of action) during the Renaissance most men of science and the arts were fain to express their noblest thoughts in Latin, the lingua franca of the learned

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fain

2 of 2

adverb

as in rather
by choice or preference "I would fain not marry that suitor, my lord," the princess pleaded

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fain
  1. willing
  2. rather
  3. ready
  4. willingly
  5. glad
  6. inclined
Adjective
  • The right-wing movements that emerged around the world in the mid-twentieth century were both highly nationalistic and willing to work across borders.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Pierce and others used the image of the statue to promote a memecoin — a type of cryptocurrency, typically based on a viral joke or meme — whose worth is only as much as people are willing to speculate and pay.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of willing
Adverb
  • But their primitive way of living reveals itself to rather more devastating effect when their third child is born, and Inger commits an act of unthinkable desperation.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Dmitriy Mazurov plays successful company director Gleb, whose seemingly perfect life starts to unravel, not due to the conflict however, but rather his suspicions that his wife (Iris Lebedeva) is having an affair.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rather
Adjective
  • Zodiacs and tender boats are on board, ready for excursions (as are kayaks, which can be booked at an additional charge).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The technology could potentially distinguish between chemically similar substances and identify biological threats, although the current work has not yet demonstrated those capabilities in a field-ready device.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of ready
Adverb
  • Mahomes willingly sandwiched his body between two defenders for a 15-yard touchdown on a scramble.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Riggle noted that people may be unaware of the danger that Stewart willingly placed himself in while serving his country.
    — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of willingly
Adjective
  • But McDowell is glad the Supreme Court blocked the use of the new districts for November.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Now that Earle Meets World is, well, out in the world, Alix, Ashtin, and the rest of the family are particularly glad that their breast cancer journey is in the spotlight—and plan on continuing to spread awareness.
    — Caitlin Carlson, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of glad
Adjective
  • That book, which served as a major source for Christopher Nolan’s 2023 blockbuster biopic, Oppenheimer, presented a nuanced portrait of the idealistic, mystically inclined, yet duplicitous and power-seeking nuclear physicist.
    — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For now, Dallas appears inclined to keep Irving, who didn’t play last season because of a torn ACL.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of inclined
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

failures
fain
faint
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fain. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compendious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All