faintly Meaning & Definition
What Does Faintly Mean?
Faintly is an adjective that means hardly perceptible. It is also used to mean vague.
Faintly in Brief
| Part of speech | adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈfānt/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | blear, bleary and blurry |
| Antonyms | clear, definite and pellucid |
| Comparative / superlative | faintlier, faintliest |
Faintly Definition (Adjective)
- hardly perceptible : dim
faint handwriting
- vague
haven't the faintest idea
- weak, dizzy, and likely to faint
… sick and faint from the pain …
- lacking courage and spirit : cowardly
faint of heart
- lacking strength or vigor : performed, offered, or accomplished weakly or languidly
faint praise / a faint smile on her lips
- producing a sensation of faintness : oppressive
the faint atmosphere of a tropical port
Synonyms of Faintly
Antonyms of Faintly
Faintly in a Sentence
faint handwriting
haven't the faintest idea
… sick and faint from the pain …
faint of heart
faint praise
a faint smile on her lips
the faint atmosphere of a tropical port
after wandering in the woods for hours, we had only a faint idea of where we were
I was starting to feel a little faint after going so long without food
faint praise / a faint smile on her lips
Word Forms & Grammar
faint·er
faint·est
faint·ish adjective
faint·ish·ness noun
faint·ly adverb
faint·ness noun
faint
fainter
faintest
faintish
faintishness
faintishnesses
faintly
faintness
faintnesses
feint
faintly (comparative faintlier, superlative faintliest)
Words That Rhyme With Faintly
Origin of Faintly
Origin 1: Middle English feint, faynt "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit or courage, listless, wearied, feeble, pale," borrowed from Anglo-French, "deceiving, false, lacking in spirit, weak," from present participle of feindre, faindre "to make, fabricate, pretend, dissemble, lose heart, fade" feign
Origin 2: From Middle English feintli, feintliche, equivalent to faint + -ly.
First Known Use
14th century
Faintly Pronunciation
Faintly is pronounced /ˈfānt/ and has 1 syllable.
Faintly: Your Questions Answered
What part of speech is faintly?
Faintly is an adjective.
What is another word for faintly?
You can replace faintly with words such as blear, bleary and blurry. See the full list of faintly synonyms and antonyms.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of faintly?
The comparative form is faintlier and the superlative form is faintliest.