adjective
faint
FAYNT/feɪnt/
Lacking enough strength to make a clear impression.
The person peers closely to distinguish the faint pencil line from the paper.
Etymology
Old French feindre included the sense “show weakness,” and its participle could describe someone weak or exhausted. That bodily weakness extended to colors, sounds, and other things making only a slight impression on the senses.
In context
passing through the corridor of silver-white plants, passing through the golden air, and by the time it reached my ears, only a faint, barely-there shadow of it remained
More examples
- We hear faint music coming from upstairs.
- The pencil marks grow fainter with each erasing.
- She offers only faint praise for the proposal.
Forms
faint · fainter · faintest
faintly adverb — In a way that is barely perceptible.
faintness noun — The quality of being barely perceptible.
Similar words
- dim
- Usually describes weak light or something poorly lit.
- indistinct
- Emphasizes unclear details or boundaries rather than low intensity.
- weak
- Describes low strength generally, not just difficulty perceiving something.