faint
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- dim, distant, faded, indistinct, low, muted, soft, subdued, vague
- slight, feeble, remote, unenthusiastic, weak
- dizzy, exhausted, giddy, light-headed, muzzy, weak, woozy (informal)
[verb]
Synonyms:
- pass out, black out, collapse, flake out (informal), keel over (informal), lose consciousness, swoon (literary)
[noun]
Synonyms:
- blackout, collapse, swoon (literary), unconsciousness

---

Antonyms: clear
Contrasted words: bright, distinct, evident, obvious, patent, unmistakable, certain, sure
Related Idioms: a dead faint, faint dead away, fall in a faint, go out like a light, pass out cold
Related Words: blurred, dusty, pale, wan, weak, hushed, inaudible, low, muffled, small, soft, stifled, thin, grayout, swim, dizziness, vertigo, knockout, gray out

---

English Thesaurus: quiet, low, soft, silent, hushed, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. faint¹ /feɪnt/ adjective
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: faindre, feindre 'to pretend'; ⇒ feign]

1. difficult to see, hear, smell etc:
She gave a faint smile.
a very faint noise
the faint light of dawn

2. a faint hope/possibility/chance etc a very small or slight hope etc:
a faint hope that they might be alive

3. not have the faintest idea to not know anything at all about something:
I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.

4. feeling weak and as if you are about to become unconscious because you are very ill, tired, or hungry:
The heat made him feel quite faint.
faint with
I was faint with hunger.
—faintly adverb:
Everyone looked faintly surprised.
The sun shone faintly through the clouds.
—faintness noun [uncountable]
⇒ damn somebody/something with faint praise at damn⁴(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. faint² verb [intransitive]

1. to suddenly become unconscious for a short time Synonym : pass out:
Several fans fainted in the blazing heat.

2. I nearly/almost fainted spoken used to say that you were very surprised by something:
I nearly fainted when they told me the price.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. faint³ noun [singular]
an act of becoming unconscious
in a (dead) faint
She fell down in a faint.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

faint
adj.
I. not strong or clear
VERBS be, look, sound His voice sounded faint and far away.
become, grow The whispers grew fainter and fainter, then stopped altogether.
ADV. extremely, very I can't make out the number?it's very faint.
rather

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

faint
II. near to losing consciousness
VERBS be, feel, look
ADV. extremely, very | almost | a bit, a little, quite I was beginning to feel a little faint.
PREP. with I was faint with hunger.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

faint
verb
ADV. almost, nearly
VERB + FAINT be about to, be going to He was so pale she thought he was going to faint.
PREP. at He would faint at the sight of blood.
from She fainted from lack of air.
with She almost fainted with shock.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

quiet not making a loud sound:
I heard a quiet voice behind me.
a car with a quiet engine
low quiet – especially because you do not want people to hear or be disturbed:
Doug was on the phone, speaking in a low voice.
I turned the volume down low.
soft quiet and pleasant to listen to:
Soft music was playing in the background.
His voice was soft and gentle.
silent not making any sound at all:
a silent prayer
silent laughter
The machines were virtually silent.
hushed deliberately quiet because you do not want people to hear – used about people’s voices:
They were talking about money in hushed tones.
The doctor’s voice was hushed and urgent.
faint quiet and difficult to hear because it comes from a long way away:
The men went ahead and their voices got fainter and fainter.
the faint sound of bells
muffled difficult to hear, for example because the sound comes from another room or someone’s mouth is covered by something:
Muffled voices were coming from downstairs.
the muffled sound of someone crying
dull [only before noun] a dull sound is not loud – used especially about the sound of something hitting another thing:
He hit the ground with a dull thud.
inaudible too quiet to hear:
The sound is inaudible to the human ear.
Her answer came in an almost inaudible whisper.
peaceful (also tranquil especially written) quiet in a pleasant and relaxing way:
Life’s more peaceful in the countryside.
The hotel is set in tranquil surroundings.
sleepy [only before noun] quiet – used about a town or village where there are not many people and very little happens:
a sleepy fishing village
taciturn /ˈtæsətɜːn, ˈtæsɪtɜːn $ -ɜːrn/ formal not talking much and seeming a little unfriendly or bad-tempered:
He found Vaughn a taciturn and rather difficult person.
reticent unwilling to talk to other people, especially about a particular subject:
She’s always been reticent about her early life.
a man/woman of few words someone who does not talk much, especially because they only speak when there is something important to say:
My father was a man of few words, but when he spoke everyone listened.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲