Is it faint or feint?
Both of these words exist in British English. They do, however, have different meanings and are commonly mixed up.
NB: See note at end about another word: feigned
Faint
This is an adjective which means ‘lacking strength or vigour’, ‘lacking courage’ and ‘timid’. It also means ‘barely perceptible’, ‘dim’ and ‘indistinct’.
This is also a verb which means ‘to fall into a faint’.
Examples:
- The boy felt faint, after seeing the sight. [adjective]
- There was a faint noise coming from the room. [adjective]
- The boy fainted, after seeing the sight. [verb]
Feint
This is a rare noun which means ‘a misleading movement designed to draw defensive action away from an intended objective or target’ or any ‘pretence intended to mislead’.
This is also a verb which means ‘to make a feint’ (as in the noun above).
As a noun, it also means ‘the finest line used in printing ruled paper’ and is a variant of ‘faint’.
Feigned
This is an adjective which means ‘not real’ or ‘simulated’.
Example:
- The boy’s feigned accent did not cover up the fact that he was Spanish.