fainthearted

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled faint-hearted

US /ˌfeɪntˈhɑrtɪd/ UK /ˌfeɪntˈhɑːtɪd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
lacking courage or resolve; timid

This venture is not for the fainthearted.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking courage or resolve;... timid cowardly timorous irresolute spiritless weak craven diffident

Opposites

brave courageous bold valiantstouthearted

Word family

Derived forms faintheartedlyfaintheartedness

Related forms faint faintness fainting

Etymology

A compound of 'faint' + 'hearted'. 'Faint' comes from Old French 'faint, feint' ('feigned, sluggish'), past participle of 'feindre' ('to feign, shirk'), from Latin 'fingere' ('to shape, feign'); 'hearted' from Old English 'heorte' ('heart').

feindre Old French fingere Latin heorte Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# fainthearted

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌfeɪntˈhɑrtɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌfeɪntˈhɑːtɪd/

## Meanings
1. lacking courage or resolve; timid

## Examples
- This venture is not for the fainthearted.

## Synonyms
- timid
- cowardly
- timorous
- irresolute
- spiritless
- weak
- craven
- diffident

## Antonyms
- brave
- courageous
- bold
- valiant
- stouthearted

## Derived Forms
- faintheartedly
- faintheartedness

## Related Forms
- faint
- faintness
- fainting

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: feindre
- Root: fingere
- Root: heorte

## Etymology
A compound of 'faint' + 'hearted'. 'Faint' comes from Old French 'faint, feint' ('feigned, sluggish'), past participle of 'feindre' ('to feign, shirk'), from Latin 'fingere' ('to shape, feign'); 'hearted' from Old English 'heorte' ('heart').

## AI Etymology
Fainthearted is a compound of 'faint' + 'hearted'. 'Faint' comes from Old French 'faint, feint' ('feigned, sluggish'), past participle of 'feindre' ('to feign, shirk'), from Latin 'fingere' ('to shape, feign'); 'hearted' from Old English 'heorte' ('heart'). Morphologically, the form is compositional, with the named elements combining to produce the modern spelling and sense. In present use, it is used as an adjective meaning "lacking courage or resolve; timid", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as faintheartedly and faintheartedness and related forms such as faint, faintness, and fainting, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old French feindre, Latin fingere, and Old English heorte, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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