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REFERENCE

faint

adj. · v. · n.
US //ˈfeɪnt// UK //fˈeɪnt// faint
  1. 1 hard to perceive (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    not strong or clear; difficult to see, hear, or smell.

    lacking in intensity, brightness, or volume; barely perceptible to the senses.

    Example

    We could hear the faint sound of music coming from the house next door.

    Example

    The detective noticed a faint trail of muddy footprints leading away from the window, though they were nearly invisible in the dim light.
  2. 2 feeling weak (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    feeling weak and dizzy, as if you are about to fall down and lose consciousness.

    feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted to the point of imminent syncope.

    Example

    The heat in the crowded room made her feel faint and nauseous.

    Example

    After standing for three hours in the midday sun, several spectators began to feel faint and had to be moved to the shade.
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  1. 3 to lose consciousness (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, usually because of heat, pain, or a shock.

    to lose consciousness temporarily, typically due to a sudden lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain.

    Example

    He fainted when he saw the blood on his arm.

    Example

    The witness fainted during the cross-examination, forcing the judge to call a brief recess while medical staff attended to her.

    Usage

    The verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
  2. 4 a loss of consciousness (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    an act of losing consciousness.

    a sudden, brief loss of consciousness; a medical episode of syncope.

    Example

    She fell to the floor in a dead faint after hearing the news.

    Example

    The doctor explained that the patient's sudden faint was likely caused by a combination of dehydration and low blood pressure.
  3. 5 lacking courage (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    lacking courage or spirit; used in the phrase 'faint-hearted'.

    lacking conviction, courage, or spirit; often used in literary contexts or fixed idioms.

    Example

    The steep mountain climb is not for the faint-hearted.

    Example

    He made a faint attempt to protest the decision, but his lack of conviction was obvious to everyone in the room.
Etymology 1

From Middle English faynt, feynt (“weak; feeble”), from Old French faint, feint (“feigned; negligent; sluggish”), past participle of feindre, faindre (“to feign; sham; work negligently”), from Latin fingere (“to touch, handle, form, shape, frame, form in thought, imagine, conceive, contrive, devise, feign”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to mold”). Cognate with feign and fiction and more distantly dough.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fainten, feynten, from the adjective (see above).

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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