• IPA: /feɪ̯nt/

faint (comparative fainter, superlative faintest)

1. (of a being) Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness

   I felt faint after my fifth gin and tonic.

2. Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected

   • Faint heart ne'er won fair lady.

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

   There was a faint red light in the distance.

4. Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy

   faint efforts

   faint resistance

5. Slight; minimal.
   • 2005, Lesley Brown (translator), Plato, Sophist, 243b.

     do you have the faintest understanding of what they mean?

• French: faible
• German: kraftlos, schwach
• Italian: debole
• Portuguese: lânguido, débil
• Russian: сла́бый
• Spanish: débil

• French: craintif, timoré
• Italian: pavido, timoroso
• Portuguese: pávido
• Russian: сла́бый

• French: faible
• Italian: incerto, indistinto, tenue, debole
• Portuguese: tênue
• Russian: ту́склый
• Spanish: tenue

• French: faible
• Italian: debole
• Portuguese: tênue
• Russian: вя́лый
• Spanish: tenue

faint (plural faints)

1. The act of fainting, syncope.
2. (rare) The state of one who has fainted; a swoon.

• French: évanouissement
• German: Ohnmacht
• Italian: svenimento
• Portuguese: desmaio
• Russian: о́бморок
• Spanish: desmayo, soponcio, deliquio

• German: Ohnmacht
• Portuguese: desmaio
• Russian: о́бморок

faint (faints, present participle fainting; past and past participle fainted)

1. (intransitive) 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).
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Mark 8:8 ↗:

     If I send them away fasting […] they will faint by the way.

   • Hearing the honour intended her, she fainted away.

2. (intransitive) To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Proverbs 24:10 ↗:

     If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

3. (intransitive) To decay; to disappear; to vanish.
   • November 12, 1711, Alexander Pope, letter to Henry Cromwell

     Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint before the eye.

• (to loose consciousness) pass out, swoon, sweb, black out, keel over
• queal

• French: s'évanouir, pâmer
• German: ohnmächtig werden, in Ohnmacht fallen
• Italian: svenire
• Portuguese: desmaiar
• Russian: па́дать в о́бморок
• Spanish: desmayar