faintly

adverb

Definition of faintlynext
as in quietly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of faintly The scenery is almost irresistible in fall, when the air is faintly pumpkin-scented and the pace slows. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost. — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026 Suddenly, her parents’ cheerful transparency—their coarse jokes, their eagerness to name things that should not be named—appeared to Nidhi in a faintly embarrassing light. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 Smell and Taste Fresh watermelon should smell clean and faintly sweet. — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 14 Aug. 2026 All your zillennial and millennial friends, now adults with car insurance and vigorous SPF routines, have been watching cozy, faintly dissociative teen dramas in order to forget their troubles. — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026 The ceremonies are held at Nihi’s Nihioka sanctuary, an hour’s ride from the hotel through wide open rice fields and thick jungle, where emerald hills cascade down towards the sea and the sound of waves carries faintly across the valley. — Charley Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026 Instead of using a mirror to gather starlight, MOTHRA has many telephoto lenses, like those on a camera, which can capture faintly glowing wisps of gas and other feeble emanations across a wider field of view. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026 Each discharge, heard faintly at the surface, is like a miniature, subterranean lightning strike. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faintly
  1. quietly
  2. feebly
  3. softly
  4. low
  5. noiselessly
Adverb
  • After seven years together, Zuckerman proposed quietly at home following a lake house trip for Montgomery’s 30th birthday — with a little help from one of his future husband’s favorite video games.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The end result hovers sensitively between prison and hotel—with a visit offering rare insight into the design and workings of the historic institution, tempered with a comfortable and quietly luxurious stay.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of quietly
Adverb
  • Chief swam feebly across, joined the other two horses on the bank, and stood there shaking.
    — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
  • Judge lined it feebly into the glove of an outfielder.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Definition of feebly
Adverb
  • In the dry-down, tonka bean tempers the citrus with a creamy, softly gourmand quality that contrasts with the bright opening.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Birds chirp softly from the surrounding fall foliage, seemingly hesitant to disturb the peace.
    — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of softly
Adverb
  • East Elementary and Monroe High School both improved from D grades to C grades and came off the state’s low-performing schools list.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Guimaraes’ defection left Newcastle low on experience and creativity.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of low
Adverb
  • Small branches can be clipped quickly and almost noiselessly and fashioned into an effective blind in only a few minutes.
    — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
  • On a brilliant midsummer morning, my wife and I stepped into a black Zodiac raft and drifted noiselessly among icebergs five stories high, their emerald and aquamarine walls gleaming above sapphire waters.
    — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of noiselessly

Browse Nearby Words

fainting
faintly
faintness
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Cite this Entry

“Faintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faintly. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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