faintness

noun

as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor after a year of increasing faintness, the old man quietly died in his sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of faintness But did the faintness of the line mean my case wasn’t serious? — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 3 Feb. 2026 The challenge, of course, is their faintness. — Adam Frank, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025 The faintness lasted only a minute. — Robert Easton, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faintness
  1. weakness
  2. exhaustion
  3. fatigue
  4. feebleness
  5. debility
Noun
  • On iPhone, Apple says the Passwords app automatically identifies common weaknesses, including passwords that are easy to guess or used multiple times.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Slowik, who was part of Miami’s offensive staff last season while working for McDaniel, is aware of what Wright and Gordon bring to the team, their strengths and weaknesses, and intends to cater the offense to those.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakness
Noun
  • Someone lying on the floor could be battered by exhaustion or genuinely in need.
    — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
  • According to Ayer, that exhaustion showed up in the movie, as Pitt couldn’t relax or rely on the typical comforts of a film set.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhaustion
Noun
  • The pressure and unpredictability can create widespread employee fatigue.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • And Hawaii is enduring hurricane fatigue after Lala, Lowell and Nolo all swiped by the island chain with heavy rain and strong winds.
    — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • As Kasubhai observed, despite its legal feebleness, Kennedy’s declaration and its explicit threat has had a concrete impact on the provision of gender-affirming services to American youths.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Signs of disease include warts on legs, crusty or swollen eyes, feebleness, a ruffled appearance, difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, and diarrhea.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of feebleness
Noun
  • In recent years, white supremacists have embraced the concept of lactose intolerance as a distinguishing debility of nonwhite people.
    — Hilary Smith, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And, when pets suffered from cancer or heart failure or debility, conversations about what to do next were emotional but often straightforward.
    — Sunita Puri, New Yorker, 6 June 2026
Definition of debility

Browse Nearby Words

faintly
faintness
faints
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Faintness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faintness. Accessed 3 Oct. 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 tittle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All