faint 1 of 3

adjective

ˈfānt How to pronounce faint (audio)
Definition of faintnext
1
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly after wandering in the woods for hours, we had only a faint idea of where we were

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2
as in weak
lacking bodily strength I was starting to feel a little faint after going so long without food

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faint

2 of 3

noun

as in trance
a temporary state of unconsciousness shocking news can cause a person to fall into a faint

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faint

3 of 3

verb

as in to collapse
to lose consciousness the kind of person who faints at the sight of blood

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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 faint
Adjective
Providing a faint ray of hope in this otherwise bleak start to life, the five baby orangutans have been settling into their new surroundings in Odisha at the Nandankanan Zoo. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 Impact flashes have been seen before, but these ones on the dark side of the Moon could have been the faintest observed with the human eye, and everyone’s excitement is palpable in the clip. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2026
Noun
Taking on an enormous corporation isn’t for the faint of heart; thank goodness Smalls, who first organized the Congress of Essential Workers and then the Amazon Labor Union, has a heart strong enough to keep struggling for his colleagues against a monolithic management team. — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 In his view, politics isn't for the faint of heart and neither is being cast on a reality show. — Saige Miller, NPR, 31 May 2026
Verb
The details of Ivester’s murder are so haunting that a juror fainted during Thompson’s trial. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026 That song’s music video is also darkly cinematic, showing Elizabeth playing with baby dolls in between sitting, bloodied, in bathtubs and on fainting couches. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for faint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faint
  1. vague
  2. weak
  3. trance
  4. collapse
  5. hazy
  6. feeble
  7. daze
  8. swoon
Adjective
  • Recent criticism The century-old restaurant guide is famous for its secrecy; its inspectors are anonymous and the company releases only vague information about their evaluation process.
    — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The plaintiffs had argued those terms were vague, and that the council selectively used them to silence prominent critics, violating their First Amendment rights.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of vague
Adjective
  • The age-old advice of keeping your passwords secure and being wary of suspicious emails is more important than ever as hackers gain more sophisticated tools and use AI to find more of the internet’s weak points.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts expect profits and assets to cover the dividend through weaker timber periods.
    — Sebastien Chasse, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of weak
Noun
  • But the factor that seems to unite everyone is a sense of repetition—no matter the style, writers will play the same songs over and over again to reach a kind of creative trance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The anniversary lineup brings together international club names, returning Pitch favorites and a large contingent of Australian artists across house, techno, breakbeat, jungle, trance and other corners of electronic music.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of trance
Verb
  • Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad.
    — JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Support for the right-wing populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Adjective
  • Even as the sense of a hazy disturbance in the force lingers, Burkholder’s approximately three-minute statement at least demystified some of the curious situation.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The band frequently steers the poppy songwriting offroad by leaning into distortion and ambience, creating moments of both near-mania and hazy unease.
    — Sue Park, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hazy
Adjective
  • In 1937, Foyles started the Right Book Club, a rather feeble counterweight to Victor Gollancz’s Left Book Club.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The probe’s landing gear is designed to absorb the energy of each landing to mitigate the risk of tipping over or bouncing back into space, a real concern with the feeble and uneven gravity field on Phobos.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of feeble
Noun
  • The video then cuts back to Allen, bloodied and walking through the parking lot in a daze.
    — Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Everyone in town seemed to walk through that day in a daze; Leslie’s name was spoken in hushed whispers.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Definition of daze
Verb
  • Aptly named after Abdalla’s character, the Allie-Cat cut echoes Allie Hayes’s effortless confidence with shaggy layers of tousled brunette waves with golden-blonde highlights that had fans swooning for more than just hot hockey players.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There are no candidates for governor who have made people swoon like this in recent years.
    — Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of swoon

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Cite this Entry

“Faint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faint. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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