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faint - 12 dictionary results

faint

  [feynt] adjective, -er, -est, verb, noun
Use faint in a Sentence
–adjective
1. lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.: a faint light; a faint color; a faint sound.
2. feeble or slight: faint resistance; faint praise; a faint resemblance.
3. feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness: faint with hunger.
4. lacking courage; cowardly; timorous: Faint heart never won fair maid.
5. Law. unfounded: a faint action.
–verb (used without object)
6. to lose consciousness temporarily.
7. to lose brightness.
8. Archaic. to grow weak; lose spirit or courage.
–noun
9. a temporary loss of consciousness resulting from a decreased flow of blood to the brain; a swoon: to fall into a faint.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < AF, OF, ptp. of faindre, var. of feindre to feign

Related forms:
fainter, noun
faint⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
faintish, adjective
faint⋅ish⋅ness, noun
faintly, adverb
faintness, noun

Synonyms:
1. indistinct, ill-defined, dim, faded, dull, 2. faltering, irresolute, weak. 3. languid. 4. pusillanimous, fearful, timid, dastardly. 6. pass out, black out.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To faint
faint   (fānt)   
adj.   faint·er, faint·est
  1. Lacking strength or vigor; feeble.
  2. Lacking conviction, boldness, or courage; timid.
    1. Lacking brightness: a faint light in the gloom.
    2. Lacking clarity or distinctness: a faint recollection.
  4. Likely to fall into a faint; dizzy and weak: felt faint for a moment.
n.  An abrupt, usually brief loss of consciousness, generally associated with failure of normal blood circulation. See Synonyms at blackout.
intr.v.   faint·ed, faint·ing, faints
  1. To fall into a usually brief state of unconsciousness.
  2. Archaic To weaken in purpose or spirit.

[Middle English, deceitful, cowardly, from Old French, past participle of feindre, to feign; see feign.]
faint'er n., faint'ly adv., faint'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Faint

Faint\ (f[=a]nt), a. [Compar. Fainter (-[~e]r); superl. Faintest.] [OE. feint, faint, false, faint, F. feint, p. p. of feindre to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Feign, and cf. Feint.]

1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.

2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." --Old Proverb.

3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound.

4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance.

The faint prosecution of the war. --Sir J. Davies.

Faint

Faint\, n. The act of fainting, or the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting, n.

The saint, Who propped the Virgin in her faint. --Sir W. Scott.

Faint

Faint\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fainting.]

1. To become weak or wanting in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with away. See Fainting, n.

Hearing the honor intended her, she fainted away. --Guardian.

If I send them away fasting . . . they will faint by the way. --Mark viii. 8.

2. To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. --Prov. xxiv. 10.

3. To decay; to disappear; to vanish.

Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint before the eye. --Pope.

Faint

Faint\, v. t. To cause to faint or become dispirited; to depress; to weaken. [Obs.]

It faints me to think what follows. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : faint
Spanish: débil, tenue,
German: schwach,
Japanese: かすかな
More Translations »

faint  (adj.)
c.1300, "wanting in courage," now mostly in faint-hearted (c.1440), from O.Fr. faint "soft, weak, sluggish," pp. of faindre "avoid one's duty by pretending" (see feign). Sense of "weak, feeble" is c.1320. Meaning "producing a feeble impression upon the senses" is from 1660. The v. originally meant "to lose heart" (c.1350); sense of "swoon" is c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1faint
Pronunciation: 'fAnt
Function: adjective
: weak, dizzy, and likely to faint

Main Entry: 2faint
Function: intransitive verb
: to lose consciousness because of a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain

Main Entry: 3faint
Function: noun
: the physiological action of fainting; also : the resulting condition : SYNCOPE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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faint (fānt)
n.
An abrupt, usually brief loss of consciousness; an attack of syncope. adj.
Extremely weak; threatened with syncope.

faint v.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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faint

see damn with faint praise.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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