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
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

faint

 (fānt)
adj. faint·er, faint·est
1.
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.
n.
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
n
(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.
n.
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.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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:
Noun1.faint - a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brainfaint - a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
loss of consciousness - the occurrence of a loss of the ability to perceive and respond
Verb1.faint - pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
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"
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"
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"
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"
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"
cowardly, fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

faint

adjective
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:
2. So lacking in strength as to be barely audible:
3. Small in degree, especially of probability:
4. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:
noun
A temporary loss of consciousness:
Pathology: syncope.
verb
To suffer temporary lack of consciousness:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إغماءأُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهضَعِيفضَعيف، باهِتواهِن، مُغْمى عَلَيهِ
omdlítslabýmátožnýmdloba
besvimesvagbesvimelse
heikkopyörtyäheiveröinenhämärä
onesvijestiti seslab
daufur; huglaus; òróttlausmeî svimamissa meîvitundyfirliî
かすかな失神失神する弱々しい気が弱い
기절하다희미한
nualpimasnualptišiek tieksilpnaisilpnumas
blāvsģībonisjusties sliktinesamaņaneskaidrs
neženomedletišibekslaboten
svagsvimma
เจือจางเป็นลม
ngấtyếu ớt

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 ideano tengo ni la más remota idea
2. (Med) to feel faintmarearse, tener vahídos
she was faint with hungerestaba que se desmayaba de hambre
B. N (Med) → desmayo m, desvanecimiento m
to be in a faintestar desmayado or sin conocimiento
to fall down in a faintdesmayarse
C. VI (Med) (also faint away) → desmayarse, perder el conocimiento (from de) he was fainting with tirednessestaba 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 [ˌfeɪntˈhɑːrtɪd]
n
not for the faint-hearted → à déconseiller aux âmes sensibles
adjpusillanimefainting fit fainting spell (US) névanouissement m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

faint

adj (+er)
(= weak, not pronounced)schwach; tracks, line, outlineundeutlich; mark, stain, photocopyblass; colourverblasst; sound, call, steps, suspicion, hope, smileleise; resemblanceentfernt; chancegering; the colours have gone faintdie Farben sind verblichen; your voice is very faint (on telephone) → man hört dich kaum; I never felt the faintest desire to cryich verspürte absolut nicht das Bedürfnis zu weinen; I have a faint memory or recollection of that dayich kann mich schwach an den Tag erinnern; she made a faint attempt at a laughsie versuchte zaghaft zu lachen; I haven’t the faintest idea (emph)ich habe nicht die leiseste or geringste Ahnung; the faint heartsdie 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 faintsie war einer Ohnmacht nahe; he was concerned that I might become fainter machte sich Sorgen, dass ich ohnmächtig werden könnte; he began to feel faintihm wurde schwach; she was faint with hungerihr war ganz schwach vor Hunger
vi (Med: = pass out) → ohnmächtig werden, in Ohnmacht fallen (→ with, from vor +dat); to faint at the sight of bloodbeim Anblick von Blut ohnmächtig werden
n (Med) → Ohnmacht f; she fell to the ground in a (dead) faintsie 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. nsvenimento
3. vi to faint (from)svenire (da)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

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
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

faint

n. desmayo, desvanecimiento, vahído;
adv. débilmente, lánguidamente; escasamente;
v. dar un vahído; desmayarse, desvanecerse.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

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
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Yet heavier far than your Petrarchan stuff- Owl-downy nonsense that the faintest puff Twirls into trunk-paper the while you con it." And, veritably, Sol is right enough.
It was to say good morning to her, to hope she had slept well, to assure her of his devotion, which he trusted she in some faintest manner returned.
And I declared that, while I felt the faintest doubt in my own mind whether he might not have been dreaming of the Trust on the night in question, and putting the dream in action in his sleep, I should not feel satisfied unless the rooms in the east wing were searched again.
"My lord," said D'Artagnan, "your eminence sees that we wish to act with all formality and due respect; but I must warn you that we have no time to lose; open the door then, my lord, and be so good as to remember, once for all, that on the slightest attempt to escape or the faintest cry for help, our position being very critical indeed, you must not be angry with us if we go to extremities."
Even when, in due course, I carried over to her a cup of tea, she only nodded at me silently, with the faintest ghost of a smile on her tight-set lips.
When she repeated Fred's news to Lydgate, he said, "Take care you don't drop the faintest hint to Ladislaw, Rosy.
Before her father, who purposely began talking in a loud voice to Vronsky, had finished, she was perfectly ready to look at Vronsky, to speak to him, if necessary, exactly as she spoke to Princess Marya Borissovna, and more than that, to do so in such a way that everything to the faintest intonation and smile would have been approved by her husband, whose unseen presence she seemed to feel about her at that instant.
The evening, I remember, was still and cloudy; the London air was at its heaviest; the distant hum of the street-traffic was at its faintest; the small pulse of the life within me, and the great heart of the city around me, seemed to be sinking in unison, languidly and more languidly, with the sinking sun.
The dragoman laughed--not at the facetiousness of the simile, for verily, that guide or that courier or that dragoman never yet lived upon earth who had in him the faintest appreciation of a joke, even though that joke were so broad and so ponderous that if it fell on him it would flatten him out like a postage stamp--the dragoman laughed, and then, emboldened by some thought that was in his brain, no doubt, proceeded to extremities and winked.
And so he progressed very, very slowly, for it was a hard and laborious task which he had set himself without knowing it--a task which might seem to you or me impossible--learning to read without having the slightest knowledge of letters or written language, or the faintest idea that such things existed.
My sense of hearing was so acute that it caught the faintest sounds made by the passage of the night-breeze through the rushes of the lake.
He "had" me indeed, and in a cleft stick; for who would ever absolve me, who would consent that I should go unhung, if, by the faintest tremor of an overture, I were the first to introduce into our perfect intercourse an element so dire?