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 For a generation of children only faintly aware of Led Zeppelin, but intimately aware of every second of Wayne’s World thanks to countless repeat viewings, this was extraordinarily confusing. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026 Mention a competing system and some responses turn faintly territorial. — Puneet Gaur, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 The campaign plays more than a bit faintly here in Harris County, home to the biggest Black population of any county in the United States. — Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2026 Three hours after Thomas Jefferson died at his Monticello home on July 4, 1826, his personal secretary, Nicholas Trist, snipped a lock of the Founder’s gray hair, still faintly reddish blond. — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026 The film is Bullock’s first in four years, and critics are ever-so-faintly praising her return to the big screen. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2026 Related Stories While onstage before his new film bowed on the first night of the serene Colorado festival, Haigh seemed faintly astonished to be there at all. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faintly
  1. quietly
  2. feebly
  3. softly
  4. low
  5. noiselessly
Adverb
  • Some dental floss manufacturers have been quietly moving away from the synthetic material PTFE, which helped their product slip smoothly between teeth.
    — Margaret Hetherman The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The result is one of the most quietly dominant competitive positions in modern industry.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 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
  • His solo debut, Heavy Metal, landed softly in the December hinterlands of 2024, and with it a murmuration of these little fibs.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The whole time, music plays softly from speakers, and red hibiscus juice flows from pitchers into tall glasses.
    — Patricia Huon, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of softly
Adverb
  • So far, temperatures haven't dropped low enough that Luna could freeze, but that could change in an instant.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Women at risk for lung cancer can talk to their doctors about ordering a low-dose CT scan for lung cancer screening.
    — Estelamari Rodriguez, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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