9 Commonly Confused Pairs_3

Feint

[feynt]

We're all familiar with the verb to faint (to temporarily lose consciousness) and the adjective faint (lacking in brightness), but what is a feint? The word originated as a fencing term for a movement made in order to deceive an adversary. A feint is a false attack made to distract the opponent from an even more fatal blow. The word comes from the Old French feindre meaning "to feign" or "deceive." Whether you're standing still or writing up a storm, you've definitely encountered our next confusing pair.
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feint¹

feɪnt/

noun

noun: feint; plural noun: feints

1. 1.

   a deceptive or pretended blow, thrust, or other movement, especially in boxing or fencing.

   "a brief feint at the opponent's face"

   • a mock attack or movement in warfare, made in order to distract or deceive an enemy.

     synonyms:

     bluff, blind, ruse, deception, subterfuge, hoax,  trick, ploy, device,wile, sham, pretence, artifice, cover, smokescreen, distraction,expedient, contrivance, machination; informaldodge, put-on, put-up job, red herring "the attack on the main gate was merely a feint"

verb

verb: feint; 3rd person present: feints; past tense: feinted; past participle: feinted; gerund or present participle: feinting

1. 1.

   make a deceptive or distracting movement, especially during a fight.

   "Adam feinted with his right and then swung a left"

Origin

late 17th century: from French feinte, past participle (used as a noun) of feindre ‘feign’.

feint²

feɪnt/

adjective

adjective: feint

1. denoting paper printed with faint lines as a guide for handwriting.

Origin

mid 19th century: variant of faint.
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faint

feɪnt/

adjective

adjective: faint; comparative adjective: fainter; superlative adjective: faintest

1. 1.

   (of a sight, smell, or sound) barely perceptible.

   "the faint murmur of voices"

   synonyms:

   indistinct, vague, unclear, indefinite, ill-defined, obscure,imperceptible, hardly noticeable, hardly detectable, unobtrusive;  pale,light, faded, bleached "her skirt had a faint mark or two" quiet, muted, muffled, stifled, subdued; feeble, weak, thin, whispered, murmured, indistinct, scarcely audible, scarcely perceptible, hard to hear, hard to make out, vague; low, soft, gentle "the baby gave a faint cry"

   antonyms:

   clear, loud

   • (of a hope or chance) possible but unlikely; slight.

     "there is a faint chance that the enemy may flee"

     synonyms:

     slight, slender, slim, small, tiny, minimal, negligible,  remote, distant,vague, unlikely, improbable, doubtful, dubious, far-fetched;  poor,outside;   informalminuscule;  rareexiguous "the faint possibility of his returning"

     antonyms:

     great

   • lacking conviction or enthusiasm; feeble.

     "she sent him a faint answering smile"

     synonyms:

     unenthusiastic, half-hearted, weak, feeble, low-key;   informalwishy-washy "only faint praise was offered to the management team"

     antonyms:

     strong

2. 2.

   feeling weak and dizzy and close to losing consciousness.

   "the heat made him feel faint"

   synonyms:

   dizzy, giddy, light-headed, muzzy, weak, weak at the knees,unsteady, shaky, wobbly, off-balance, reeling;  informalwoozy, woolly,woolly-headed, dopey,  trembly, all of a quiver;  rarevertiginous "I suddenly felt hot and faint"

verb

verb: faint; 3rd person present: faints; past tense: fainted; past participle: fainted; gerund or present participle: fainting

1. 1.

   lose consciousness for a short time because of a temporarily insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain.

   "I fainted from loss of blood"

   synonyms:

   pass out, lose consciousness, fall unconscious, black out, collapse; informalflake out, keel over, conk out, zonk out, drop, go out, go out like a light;  literaryswoon "he was so pale she thought he would faint"

   • archaic

     grow weak or feeble; decline.

     "the fires were fainting there"

noun

noun: faint; plural noun: faints

1. 1.

   a sudden loss of consciousness.

   "she hit the floor in a dead faint"

   synonyms:

   blackout, fainting fit, loss of consciousness, collapse;  coma; literaryswoon;  syncope "she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint"

Origin

Middle English (in the sense ‘feigned’, also ‘feeble, cowardly’, surviving in faint heart): from Old French faint, past participle of faindre (see feign). Compare with feint¹.