as in quietly
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Recent Examples of faintly
To the person receiving it, the word can land cold, clipped, or faintly dismissive.
—
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Encouraged out to a party one night by his gregarious best friend (Shanti Masud), David accepts a pill from a stranger and, almost immediately afterwards, notices a young woman (Seydoux) across the room who is fixing him with a faintly predatory stare.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 May 2026
Only instead of the latest concoction, certain discerning attendees—the ones who have, pointedly, graduated from the Aperol spritz—are ordering a defiantly retro alternative, one that is muddy brown and faintly medicinal.
—Elena Clavarino, Air Mail, 9 May 2026
Above the striping comes mesh in the same color, beneath which pink eye stay loops can be faintly made out before coming to the surface.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
The dark, burnished stew smelled faintly sweet.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 6 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Instead, thanks to the sugar, eggs, and butter in the mix, vinegar pie is sweet, silky, subtly fruity, and faintly tangy; on the tartness level akin to cheesecake.
—Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.
—Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Encouraged out to a party one night by his gregarious best friend (Shanti Masud), David accepts a pill from a stranger and, almost immediately afterwards, notices a young woman (Seydoux) across the room who is fixing him with a faintly predatory stare.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 May 2026
Only instead of the latest concoction, certain discerning attendees—the ones who have, pointedly, graduated from the Aperol spritz—are ordering a defiantly retro alternative, one that is muddy brown and faintly medicinal.
—Elena Clavarino, Air Mail, 9 May 2026
Above the striping comes mesh in the same color, beneath which pink eye stay loops can be faintly made out before coming to the surface.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
The dark, burnished stew smelled faintly sweet.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 6 May 2026
The air smelled faintly of lunch and feet.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Instead, thanks to the sugar, eggs, and butter in the mix, vinegar pie is sweet, silky, subtly fruity, and faintly tangy; on the tartness level akin to cheesecake.
—Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.
—Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faintly
Adverb
-
The Nationals picked the 25-year-old up off the scrap heap after spring training and now Mead is quietly in the middle of a breakout year.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Just days earlier, another event quietly illustrated the same shift from trade toward deeper integration.—
Li Jun,
Footwear News,
31 May 2026
Adverb
-
Judge lined it feebly into the glove of an outfielder.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Infantino, as Henry Bushnell writes, talked rather feebly about working together and, randomly, said an upcoming under-15 tournament for all member associations was something to encourage co-operation.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
The dancers — now unified in formations that softly bleed into one another like clouds — demand attention.—
Steven Vargas,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Then, take your forefinger and softly tap the sushi a couple of times on top.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Adverb
-
Release the spider onto a low-hanging plant in a more suitable area.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
The dark, unmarked helicopter is hovering low over city neighborhoods and intersections, not far from some neighbors' windows.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
Small branches can be clipped quickly and almost noiselessly and fashioned into an effective blind in only a few minutes.—
Bruce Brady,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
-
On a brilliant midsummer morning, my wife and I stepped into a black Zodiac raft and drifted noiselessly among icebergs five stories high, their emerald and aquamarine walls gleaming above sapphire waters.—
Pico Iyer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Faintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faintly. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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