FAIN Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

fain 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfān

Definition of fain

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

Adjective

Shouldn’t Tamra take that as a sign to repair her relationships with the women rather than alienate the one person who is willing to look past her bad behavior?

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 July 2026
And while Californians continue to support state law mandating 100% of the state’s electricity come from renewable energy sources by 2045, only 38% of them are willing to pay more on their electrical bills for that shift.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026

Definition of willing

Adverb

Evaluating how things went during an initial taste of action in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, Hannes Steinbach was rather pleased.

— Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
The only thing that felt rather bittersweet was that Sega’s people showed Virtua Fighter running on laptops at the end of the event, which, considering the company’s long and storied arcade history, was rather sad to see.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of rather

Adjective

In a market where leadership has rotated, stalled, and rotated again, Amazon is beginning to look like the next stock ready to reclaim the spotlight.

— Jay Woods, CNBC, 16 July 2026
The store’s protein aisle sits alongside a growing lineup of ready-to-drink iced coffees and instant coffee, giving shoppers a way to build a caffeine-and-protein routine for a fraction of what a coffee shop run would cost.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026

Definition of ready

Adverb

And despite willingly signing the April agreement, according to Yaffe, John has refused to hand over the remaining personal property.

— Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026
Bowles told the jury during trial that May would have never willingly abandoned her children.

— Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of willingly

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

Style

“Fain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fain. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fain

adjective

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on fain

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

accentuate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes