faint

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faint

swoon: The horrible news made her faint.; feeble; timid; dim: a faint light in the distance

Not to be confused with:

feint – a misleading movement: feint a pass; a pretense

faint

(fānt)

adj. faint·er, faint·est

a. Done with little strength or vigor; feeble: a faint attempt to apologize.

b. So weak as to be difficult to perceive; a faint light in the distance; a faint echo.

c. Lacking clarity or distinctness: a faint recollection.

d. Small in degree or amount; meager: faint chance of getting a raise.

2. Lacking conviction, boldness, or courage; timid: a tourist who is faint at heart.

3. Likely to fall into a faint; dizzy and weak: felt faint for a moment.

An abrupt, usually brief loss of consciousness, generally associated with failure of normal blood circulation.

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.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

faint

(feɪnt)

adj

1. lacking clarity, brightness, volume, etc: a faint noise.

2. lacking conviction or force; weak: faint praise.

3. feeling dizzy or weak as if about to lose consciousness

4. without boldness or courage; timid (esp in the combination faint-hearted)

5. not the faintest not the faintest idea not the faintest notion no idea whatsoever: I haven't the faintest.

vb (intr)

6. to lose consciousness, esp momentarily, as through weakness

7. archaic or poetic to fail or become weak, esp in hope or courage

(Pathology) a sudden spontaneous loss of consciousness, usually momentary, caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the brain. Technical name: syncope

[C13: from Old French, from faindre to be idle]

ˈfainter n

ˈfaintingly adv

ˈfaintish adj

ˈfaintishness n

ˈfaintly adv

ˈfaintness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

faint

(feɪnt)

adj. faint•er, faint•est,
v., n. adj.

1. lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.

2. feeble or slight.

3. feeling weak, dizzy, or exhausted; about to lose consciousness.

4. lacking courage; cowardly; timorous.

v.i.

5. to lose consciousness temporarily.

6. to lose brightness.

7. Archaic. to grow weak; lose spirit or courage.

8. a temporary loss of consciousness resulting from a decreased flow of blood to the brain; swoon.

[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, past participle of faindre, variant of feindre feign]

faint′er, n.

faint′ing•ly, adv.

faint′ish, adj.

faint′ish•ness, n.

faint′ly, adv.

faint′ness, n.

faint

Past participle: fainted
Gerund: fainting

Imperative
faint
faint

Present
I faint
you faint
he/she/it faints
we faint
you faint
they faint

Preterite
I fainted
you fainted
he/she/it fainted
we fainted
you fainted
they fainted

Present Continuous
I am fainting
you are fainting
he/she/it is fainting
we are fainting
you are fainting
they are fainting

Present Perfect
I have fainted
you have fainted
he/she/it has fainted
we have fainted
you have fainted
they have fainted

Past Continuous
I was fainting
you were fainting
he/she/it was fainting
we were fainting
you were fainting
they were fainting

Past Perfect
I had fainted
you had fainted
he/she/it had fainted
we had fainted
you had fainted
they had fainted

Future
I will faint
you will faint
he/she/it will faint
we will faint
you will faint
they will faint

Future Perfect
I will have fainted
you will have fainted
he/she/it will have fainted
we will have fainted
you will have fainted
they will have fainted

Future Continuous
I will be fainting
you will be fainting
he/she/it will be fainting
we will be fainting
you will be fainting
they will be fainting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fainting
you have been fainting
he/she/it has been fainting
we have been fainting
you have been fainting
they have been fainting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fainting
you will have been fainting
he/she/it will have been fainting
we will have been fainting
you will have been fainting
they will have been fainting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fainting
you had been fainting
he/she/it had been fainting
we had been fainting
you had been fainting
they had been fainting

Conditional
I would faint
you would faint
he/she/it would faint
we would faint
you would faint
they would faint

Past Conditional
I would have fainted
you would have fainted
he/she/it would have fainted
we would have fainted
you would have fainted
they would have fainted

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	faint - a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain deliquium, swoon, syncope loss of consciousness - the occurrence of a loss of the ability to perceive and respond
Verb	1.	faint - pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain pass out, swoon, conk zonk out, pass out, black out - lose consciousness due to a sudden trauma, for example
Adj.	1.	faint - deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc; "a faint outline"; "the wan sun cast faint shadows"; "the faint light of a distant candle"; "weak colors"; "a faint hissing sound"; "a faint aroma"; "a weak pulse" weak perceptible - capable of being perceived by the mind or senses; "a perceptible limp"; "easily perceptible sounds"; "perceptible changes in behavior"
	2.	faint - lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" dim, shadowy, wispy, vague indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do"
	3.	faint - lacking strength or vigor; "damning with faint praise"; "faint resistance"; "feeble efforts"; "a feeble voice" feeble weak - wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar"
	4.	faint - weak and likely to lose consciousness; "suddenly felt faint from the pain"; "was sick and faint from hunger"; "felt light in the head"; "a swooning fit"; "light-headed with wine"; "light-headed from lack of sleep" lightheaded, light-headed, swooning, light ill, sick - affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function; "ill from the monotony of his suffering"
	5.	faint - indistinctly understood or felt or perceived; "a faint clue to the origin of the mystery"; "haven't the faintest idea" indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do"
	6.	faint - lacking conviction or boldness or courage; "faint heart ne'er won fair lady" fainthearted, faint-hearted, timid cowardly, fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley

faint

adjective

1. dim, low, light, soft, thin, faded, whispered, distant, dull, delicate, vague, unclear, muted, subdued, faltering, hushed, bleached, feeble, indefinite, muffled, hazy, ill-defined, indistinct He became aware of the soft, faint sounds of water dripping.
dim clear, strong, powerful, bright, loud, distinct, conspicuous

2. slight, weak, feeble, unenthusiastic, remote, slim, vague, slender She made a faint attempt at a laugh.

3. timid, weak, feeble, lame, unconvincing, unenthusiastic, timorous, faint-hearted, spiritless, half-hearted, lily-livered He let his arm flail out in a faint attempt to strike her.
timid brave, bold, courageous

4. dizzy, giddy, light-headed, vertiginous, weak, exhausted, fatigued, faltering, wobbly, drooping, languid, lethargic, muzzy, woozy (informal), weak at the knees, enervated Other signs of angina are nausea, feeling faint and shortness of breath.
dizzy fresh, vigorous, energetic, hearty

verb

1. pass out, black out, lose consciousness, keel over (informal), fail, go out, collapse, fade, weaken, languish, swoon (literary), flake out (informal) I thought he'd faint when I kissed him.

noun

1. blackout, collapse, coma, swoon (literary), unconsciousness, syncope (Pathology) She slumped on the ground in a faint.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

faint

adjective

1. Free from severity or violence, as in movement:

balmy, delicate, gentle, mild, smooth, soft.

2. So lacking in strength as to be barely audible:

feeble, weak.

3. Small in degree, especially of probability:

negligible, outside, remote, slender, slight, slim.

4. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:

blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct, vague.

noun

A temporary loss of consciousness:

blackout, swoon.

Pathology: syncope.

verb

To suffer temporary lack of consciousness:

black out, keel over, pass out, swoon.

Translations

إغماءأُغْمِيَ عَلَيْه ضَعِيفضَعيف، باهِتواهِن، مُغْمى عَلَيهِ

omdlítslabýmátožnýmdloba

besvimesvagbesvimelse

schwach in Ohnmacht fallen Ohnmacht sich einer Ohnmacht nahe fühlen

λιποθυμώ αμυδρός αχνός εξασθενημένος

débil tenue desmayo desvanecimiento desmayarse

heikkopyörtyäheiveröinenhämärä

faible évanouir évanouissement craintif évanoui

onesvijestiti seslab

daufur; huglaus; òróttlausmeî svimamissa meîvitundyfirliî

svenire debole deliquio fiacco indistinto

かすかな失神失神する弱々しい気が弱い

기절하다희미한

nualpimasnualptišiek tieksilpnaisilpnumas

blāvsģībonisjusties sliktinesamaņaneskaidrs

flauwvallen zwak

besvime besvimelse dåne forsakt matt

słaby zemdleć

débil desmaiar desmaio

падать в обморок тусклый

neženomedletišibekslaboten

svagsvimma

เจือจางเป็นลม

bayılmak zayıfbaygınlıkbayılma

ngấtyếu ớt

微弱的昏倒昏厥昏晕虚弱的

faint

[feɪnt]

A. ADJ (fainter (compar) (faintest (superl)))

1. (= light, weak) [breeze] → débil, ligero; [outline] → borroso, indistinto; [trace, mark, line] → tenue; [colour] → pálido; [light] → tenue; [sound] → apagado, débil; [smell] → tenue, casi imperceptible; [taste, resemblance] → ligero; [voice, breathing] → débil; [hope] → remoto; [smile] → leve; [idea, memory] → vago; [heart] → medroso
I haven't the faintest idea → no tengo ni la más remota idea

2. (Med) to feel faint → marearse, tener vahídos
she was faint with hunger → estaba que se desmayaba de hambre

B. N (Med) → desmayo m, desvanecimiento m
to be in a faint → estar desmayado or sin conocimiento
to fall down in a faint → desmayarse

C. VI (Med) (also faint away) → desmayarse, perder el conocimiento (from de) he was fainting with tiredness → estaba que se caía de cansancio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

faint

[ˈfeɪnt]

adj

(= weak, not pronounced) [light] → faible; [colour] → pâle; [sound, voice] → faible; [smell, breeze, trace] → léger/ère; [mark] → à peine visible; [smile] → faible
His voice was very faint → Sa voix était très faible.
to grow fainter [sound, voice] → s'affaiblir

(= slight) [hope] → léger/ère; [chance, possibility] → faible

(= vague) [recollection, memory] → vague
I haven't the faintest idea → je n'en ai pas la moindre idée

(= unwell, light-headed) to feel faint → se sentir mal, être pris(e) de malaise

n (= blackout) → évanouissement m

vi (= pass out) → s'évanouir
All of a sudden she fainted → Tout à coup elle s'est évanouie.faint-hearted [ˌfeɪntˈhɑː^rtɪd]

n
not for the faint-hearted → à déconseiller aux âmes sensibles

adj → pusillanimefainting fit fainting spell (US) n → évanouissement m

faint

adj (+er)

(= weak, not pronounced) → schwach; tracks, line, outline → undeutlich; mark, stain, photocopy → blass; colour → verblasst; sound, call, steps, suspicion, hope, smile → leise; resemblance → entfernt; chance → gering; the colours have gone faint → die Farben sind verblichen; your voice is very faint (on telephone) → man hört dich kaum; I never felt the faintest desire to cry → ich verspürte absolut nicht das Bedürfnis zu weinen; I have a faint memory or recollection of that day → ich kann mich schwach an den Tag erinnern; she made a faint attempt at a laugh → sie versuchte zaghaft zu lachen; I haven’t the faintest idea (emph) → ich habe nicht die leiseste or geringste Ahnung; the faint hearts → die Zaghaften pl, → die Hasenfüße pl (inf); faint heart never won fair lady (Prov) → wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt (Prov) ? also damn VT c

pred (Med) she was or felt faint → sie war einer Ohnmacht nahe; he was concerned that I might become faint → er machte sich Sorgen, dass ich ohnmächtig werden könnte; he began to feel faint → ihm wurde schwach; she was faint with hunger → ihr war ganz schwach vor Hunger

vi (Med: = pass out) → ohnmächtig werden, in Ohnmacht fallen (→ with, from vor +dat); to faint at the sight of blood → beim Anblick von Blut ohnmächtig werden

n (Med) → Ohnmacht f; she fell to the ground in a (dead) faint → sie fiel ohnmächtig zu Boden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

faint

[feɪnt]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) (smell, breeze, trace) → leggero/a; (outline, mark) → indistinto/a; (sound, voice) → fievole, debole; (hope) → debole; (idea, recollection, resemblance) → vago/a
to feel faint → sentirsi svenire
I haven't the faintest (idea) (fam) → non ne ho la più pallida idea
faint with hunger → debole per la fame

2. n → svenimento

3. vi to faint (from) → svenire (da)

faint

(feint) adjective

1. lacking in strength, brightness, courage etc. The sound grew faint; a faint light.

2. physically weak and about to lose consciousness. Suddenly he felt faint.

verb

to lose consciousness. She fainted on hearing the news.

noun

loss of consciousness. His faint gave everybody a fright.

ˈfaintly adverb

1. in a faint manner. A light shone faintly.

2. slightly; rather. She looked faintly surprised.

ˈfaintness noun

faint

→ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْه, ضَعِيف omdlít, slabý besvime, svag in Ohnmacht fallen, schwach εξασθενημένος, λιποθυμώ débil, desmayarse, tenue heikko, pyörtyä faible, s’évanouir onesvijestiti se, slab debole, svenire かすかな, 気絶する 기절하다, 희미한 flauwvallen, zwak besvime, svak słaby, zemdleć débil, desmaiar падать в обморок, тусклый svag, svimma เจือจาง, เป็นลม bayılmak, zayıf ngất, yếu ớt 微弱的, 昏倒

faint

n. desmayo, desvanecimiento, vahído;

adv. débilmente, lánguidamente; escasamente;

v. dar un vahído; desmayarse, desvanecerse.

faint

adj to feel — sentir que se va a desmayar, sentirse mareado; Do you feel faint?..¿Siente que se va a desmayar?; n desmayo; vi desmayarse

References in classic literature ?

Then Sir Henry suggested that it might be well to get as near the door as possible and halloa, on the faint chance of somebody catching a sound outside.

View in context

A faint cry of joy escaped me; I tried to hold out my feeble hands.

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I clambered into the pit and fancied I heard a faint movement under my feet.

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Heralded by the increasing fierceness of the squalls, sometimes by a faint flash of lightning like the signal of a lighted torch waved far away behind the clouds, the shift of wind comes at last, the crucial moment of the change from the brooding and veiled violence of the south-west gale to the sparkling, flashing, cutting, clear- eyed anger of the King's north-westerly mood.

View in context

Its embers burnt now with a faint and sickly glare in the full flood of yellow moonlight which had fallen upon the country.

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The laboratory grew faint and hazy, then fainter and ever fainter.

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The face, as it showed under the glass, was not disagreeable to look upon: it bore a faint smile, and as the death had been painless, had not been distorted beyond the repairing power of the undertaker.

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Presently a faint rustling of the bush apprised him of the stealthy creeping of the thing behind.

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A faint sketch of the lines Time intended to engrave on Gertrude's brow appeared there as she read the letter; but she hastened to give the admiral's kind regards to her host and hostess, and discussed her mother's health feelingly with them.

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"You are deceived, mother!" she said in a faint voice.

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I could bar ely hear the answering voice--it was so faint; and it uttered but one word: "No!"

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When we are listening for a faint sound--the striking of a distant clock, or a horse's hoofs on the road--we think we hear it many times before we really do, because expectation brings us the image, and we mistake it for sensation.