VocabauraVOCABAURA

fad

noun

Simple meaning

A phenomenon that becomes popular for a very short time.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

fad
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈfæd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A phenomenon that becomes popular for a very short time.

  2. biochemistry

    Initialism of flavin adenine dinucleotide.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A phenomenon that becomes popular for a very short time.

Used this way, fad is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use fad

  • “He always follows the latest fads.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “fad”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

fad dietpassing fadnew fadlatest fadcurrent fadmanagement fadpopular fadmere fad

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • fading awaynounCompound term

    Gradually diminishing in brightness or loudness or strength.

  • fad dietnounCompound term

    A reducing diet that enjoys temporary popularity.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “fad” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.