faintness
faintness — 名詞
1. a lack of clarity or strength in something your senses detect — such as a sound
模糊；微弱
聲音、光線或痕跡不清楚的狀態
a lack of clarity or strength in something your senses detect — such as a sound that is hard to hear, a mark that is hard to see, or a smell that is barely noticeable
The faintness of the pencil marks made the notes almost impossible to read.
鉛筆字跡模糊，筆記幾乎無法閱讀。
Because of the faintness of the radio signal, we could not pick up any weather reports.
因為無線電訊號太微弱，我們收不到任何天氣報告。
faintness of + noun (signal / sound / light / smell)
The faintness of the morning light meant the hikers needed torches on the trail.
晨光太微弱，登山客必須沿路拿著手電筒。
Faisal complained about the faintness of the ink on the printed directions.
Faisal 抱怨印在紙上的路線說明墨水太淡了。
Even with her hearing aid, the faintness of the lecturer's voice made it hard for Tamar to follow.
就算戴了助聽器，講者的聲音還是太小，Tamar 很難跟上內容。
- clarity
the quality of being clear and easy to perceive
- brightness
specifically for visual clarity
用法筆記
Often used in the pattern 'the faintness of + noun phrase' to describe a sensory quality that is weak or barely present.
常見錯誤
2. a physical sensation of weakness or dizziness that makes you feel close to passi
頭昏；暈眩
感覺快要失去知覺的身體狀態
a physical sensation of weakness or dizziness that makes you feel close to passing out — often caused by heat, hunger, low blood pressure, or sudden movement
A sudden wave of faintness came over Diego while he was standing in the hot sun.
Diego 站在大太陽底下時，突然一陣頭昏向他襲來。
wave of faintness — common collocation for a sudden onset
The nurse told Liam that his faintness was probably due to low blood pressure.
護士告訴 Liam，他的頭昏很可能是因為血壓太低。
Putri felt a disturbing faintness every time she stood up too quickly from her desk.
Putri 每次從座位太快站起來時，都會感到一陣很不舒服的暈眩。
Omar experienced faintness and blurred vision after working twelve hours without a break.
Omar 連續工作十二個小時沒休息，結果感到頭昏眼花。
If the faintness does not go away after a few minutes, you should see a doctor.
如果頭昏的症狀過了幾分鐘還沒消退，你應該去看醫生。
- dizziness
overlaps but focuses on a spinning or unsteady sensation rather than the threat of passing out
- lightheadedness
more specific to the sensation of feeling floaty or about to faint
- wooziness
informal, describes a vague unsteady feeling
- vertigo
medical term for a spinning sensation, not necessarily linked to fainting
- steadiness
feeling stable and balanced
用法筆記
Common in medical contexts. Frequently paired with verbs like 'feel', 'experience', 'suffer from', or 'complain of'. Often occurs in the phrase 'a wave/sensation/feeling of faintness'.
常見錯誤
faintness — 形容詞
- faintnesspositive
- more faintnesscomparative
- most faintnesssuperlative
1. so weak or slight that you can barely see, hear, smell, or notice it — used of l
隱約；依稀
難以看見、聽見或察覺的
so weak or slight that you can barely see, hear, smell, or notice it — used of light, sounds, marks, colours, smells, and memories
Defne could barely read the street name in the faint light of the evening.
Defne 在傍晚微弱的光線下幾乎看不清路名。
The old photograph showed only a faint outline of the house that once stood there.
那張老照片只顯示出曾經矗立在那裡的房子的模糊輪廓。
faint + outline / sound / smell / memory — typical noun collocates
Diego heard a faint sound of piano music coming from the apartment upstairs.
Diego 聽到樓上公寓傳來隱約的鋼琴聲。
There was a faint smell of freshly baked bread in the hallway.
走廊上有一股淡淡的剛出爐麵包的香氣。
Haruto had only a faint memory of the holiday he spent with his grandparents.
Haruto 只依稀記得和祖父母一起度過的那個假期。
用法筆記
Very versatile — pairs with concrete sensory nouns (light, sound, smell, colour, mark) as well as abstract nouns (memory, hope, possibility, smile).
常見錯誤
2. feeling weak, unsteady, and as if you might collapse — usually describing a pers
暈眩；昏眩
身體虛弱、站不穩的感覺
feeling weak, unsteady, and as if you might collapse — usually describing a person's physical state rather than their surroundings
Chiara felt faint after standing in the hot museum queue for nearly an hour.
Chiara 在悶熱的博物館排隊等了將近一個小時之後，覺得頭暈目眩。
feel + faint — most common verb pattern for this sense
The patient told the nurse she felt faint whenever she tried to walk to the bathroom.
那位病人告訴護士，她每次試著走到廁所時都會覺得快要昏倒。
Standing up too quickly after the long flight made Pedro feel faint and sick.
長途飛行結束後站起來太快，讓 Pedro 覺得頭暈想吐。
Several passengers felt faint during the ferry crossing because of the rough waves.
渡輪在海浪中搖晃，好幾名乘客都覺得頭暈。
If you start to feel faint, sit down and put your head between your knees.
如果你開始覺得頭暈，就坐下並把頭放在兩膝之間。
- dizzy
broader — can describe a spinning sensation regardless of risk of fainting
- lightheaded
more precise; refers specifically to the floaty, pre-faint feeling
- woozy
informal; a vague unsteady feeling, not necessarily medical
- steady
firm and balanced on your feet
用法筆記
Almost always used predicatively (after 'feel', 'become', 'grow') rather than before a noun. You say 'I feel faint', not 'a faint person'.
常見錯誤
3. showing a weak, cowardly character — lacking the courage, determination, or spir
懦弱；膽小
缺乏勇氣與決心的行為
showing a weak, cowardly character — lacking the courage, determination, or spirit needed to face a difficult situation
The newspaper described the politician's apology as a faint-hearted reply that avoided taking any real responsibility.
該報形容那位政治人物的道歉是膽怯的回應，並未承擔任何真正的責任。
faint-hearted reply — compound adjective unique to moral cowardice sense
Henry thought it was a faint excuse to put all the blame on a junior staff member.
Henry 認為把所有過錯推給基層員工是膽小的藉口。
The general had no patience for what he called faint-hearted behaviour among his troops.
那位將軍對他所謂的部屬膽小行為毫無容忍。
Critics dismissed the reform plan as a faint-hearted response to a serious crisis.
評論家認為這項改革計畫只是面對嚴重危機的軟弱回應。
- cowardly
more direct and more common; strongly negative
- half-hearted
focuses on lack of effort rather than lack of courage
- timid
describes a shy, cautious personality rather than moral weakness
- courageous
brave and determined
- bold
confident and willing to take risks
用法筆記
This is a somewhat dated or literary sense. In modern everyday speech, 'weak', 'cowardly', or 'half-hearted' are more common. The compound 'faint-hearted' is still used. Unlike sense 4 (FEEBLE), which describes physical weakness or lack of force, this sense specifically refers to moral cowardice and lack of courage.
常見錯誤
4. lacking physical strength, energy, or force — done in a weak or half-hearted way
無力；虛弱
缺乏力量或活力的動作或表現
lacking physical strength, energy, or force — done in a weak or half-hearted way, without real power or effect
Tendai gave a faint smile when the nurse helped him sit up in bed.
Tendai 在護士協助他坐起來時，露出了無力的微笑。
The frail elderly man made a faint attempt to open the jar before his granddaughter took over.
那位虛弱的老先生無力地試圖打開罐子，最後還是孫女接手幫忙。
faint attempt — physically weak effort, easily overcome
Too weak from the surgery, the patient offered only a faint resistance when the nurses lifted her onto the stretcher.
那名病人手術後身體太虛弱，護士將她抬上擔架時只能稍微掙扎一下。
Pedro let out a faint cry for help, but no one was around to hear it.
Pedro 發出微弱的求救聲，但四周沒有人聽見。
The team's faint performance in the second half cost them the championship.
該隊下半場表現無力，因此痛失冠軍。
用法筆記
Describes actions, efforts, and performances that lack force or energy. Overlaps with sense 1 (DIM) when applied to sounds or cries, but differs in that sense 4 focuses on lack of power rather than lack of perceptibility.
5. describes an atmosphere, air, or heat that is so heavy or close that it makes yo
悶熱；窒息
空氣沉悶讓人頭昏不適的
describes an atmosphere, air, or heat that is so heavy or close that it makes you feel weak, dizzy, or lightheaded
The faint, humid air in the packed train carriage made everyone feel uncomfortable.
擠滿人的火車車廂裡空氣悶熱潮濕，每個人都覺得很不舒服。
faint + air / atmosphere — describing oppressive, stifling conditions
Omar opened every window to let the faint, stale air out of the small bedroom.
Omar 把每扇窗戶都打開，讓小臥室裡沉悶停滯的空氣流通。
The faint heat in the overcrowded hall was so bad that several people had to step outside.
人滿為患的大廳裡悶熱難耐，好幾個人不得不走到外面去。
Chiara could not concentrate in the faint atmosphere of the windowless office.
沒有窗戶的辦公室空氣沉悶，Chiara 無法集中精神。
- stifling
much more common; strongly suggests heat and lack of air
- oppressive
emphasises the uncomfortable, heavy quality of the atmosphere
- stuffy
informal; describes a room or space with poor ventilation
用法筆記
This is a rare, somewhat literary sense. In modern everyday English, 'stuffy', 'stifling', or 'oppressive' are far more common. You will mainly encounter this sense in older or descriptive writing.