faint
verb · adjective · noun
Simple meaning
To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fayntIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfeɪnt
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
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).
intransitive
To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.
intransitive
To decay; to disappear; to vanish.
adjective
of a being
Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness
Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy.
Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected.
Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp.
Slight; minimal.
noun
The act of fainting, syncope.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: 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).
Used this way, faint is a specialist word carrying real weight of difficulty or hurt. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Strongly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use faint
- “She felt dizzy and was about to faint from the heat.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
To a faint degree or weakly perceived.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “faint” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.