EN

Synonyms for faint

  • adjective
  • verb
  • noun

Most common

dim dull sickly low indistinct vague faint-hearted light-headed

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

1. Dim — barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp

dim, dull, sickly, low, pale, faded, wan, languid, ill, sick, listless, leaden, fatigued, bland, dingy, worn, muddy, lackluster US, lack-lustre UK, lacklustre UK, effete, enervated, weary, fade

2. Indistinct

indistinct, vague, distant, wispy, ill-defined, obscure, shadowy, hazy, fuzzy, undefined

3. Faint-hearted

faint-hearted, timid, fearful, cowardly, timorous

4. Light-headed

light-headed, light

Other

weak, feeble, slight, small, dizzy, faltering, inconspicuous, drooping, weedy, inward, remote, flimsy

Verb

1. Swoon — to lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly…

swoon, pass out, keel over, sweb UK

Other

flag, wilt, droop, languish, queal UK

Noun

1. Syncope

syncope, deliquium

Other

drop, black-out, conch, blankout

Antonyms

strong, pungent

All antonyms of faint →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp.

    There was a faint red light in the distance.

  2. adj. 2

    Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness

    I felt faint after my fifth gin and tonic.

  3. v. 1

    To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions).

  4. n. 1

    The act of fainting, syncope.

    She suffered another faint.

Related words

Word family
faint-hearted faintly faintness

Forms

Plural
faints → syncopes, deliquiums, drops, black-outs…
Past participle
fainted
e.g. fainted → swooned, swebbed, flagged, wilted…

Choose the right word

Faint, Dim or Faded?

Written characters may be faint or dim, either because originally written with poor ink, or because they have become faded by time and exposure.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • pale I said to her, "You look pale. Are you all right?"
  • faded The black fabric had faded to a deep purple color.
  • sickly Since childhood, Boldi has been a very sickly boy.
  • listless I feel listless and have a throbbing headache.
  • vague I deal in facts and figures, not vague impressions.
  • indistinct The squamosal bears an indistinct, gently curved ridge.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
faintrising
palerising
fadedrising
sicklyrising
listlessrising
vaguesteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
low1, ill1, wan1, dim1
4 letters
drop1, sick1, weak1, flag1, worn1, pale1, dull1, fade1, wilt1, hazy2, sweb
5 letters
small1, light1, vague1, faded2, muddy2, weary2, fuzzy2, bland1, dizzy2, timid2, swoon1, dingy2, conch1, droop1
6 letters
remote2, slight1, inward2, feeble2, flimsy2, sickly2, leaden2, effete2
7 letters
distant2, obscure2, fearful2, shadowy3, languid2, syncope3
8 letters
cowardly3, fatigued2, drooping2, listless2, languish2, timorous3, blankout
9 letters
undefined3, faltering3, enervated, deliquium
10 letters
lackluster3, indistinct3, lacklustre
13 letters
inconspicuous4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (hazy2 = 2 syllables).