What does fainthearted mean?
Fainthearted is an adjective describing someone who lacks courage or confidence — a person who is timid, easily frightened, or quick to give up in the face of difficulty. The word combines "faint," in its older sense of weak or feeble, with "hearted," meaning having the disposition of a specified kind of heart. It applies most often to people, as in a fainthearted soldier who shrinks from battle, but it can also describe actions or efforts that betray hesitancy, such as a fainthearted apology or a half-committed proposal. In modern English it appears frequently in the set phrase "not for the fainthearted," used to signal that something — a film, a dish, a hiking trail, a stock-market strategy — demands nerve or resilience. Its connotation is mildly disapproving, though it is often deployed playfully. Related forms include the noun faintheartedness and the adverb faintheartedly.
adjectiveLacking courage or confidence; easily frightened or discouraged. It describes a person, action, or effort marked by timidity rather than boldness.
- Lacking courage; timid or easily frightened.
- (of an action or effort) showing a lack of boldness or resolve.
"The fainthearted investor sold his shares at the first sign of a market dip."
"The trek to the summit is not for the fainthearted."
"She made a fainthearted apology and quickly changed the subject."
The phrase "not for the fainthearted" appears everywhere from rollercoaster reviews to recipe blogs — one little adjective has become the internet's favorite warning label.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fainthearted
Fainthearted was formed in Middle English by combining "faint" (from Old French feint, ultimately from Latin fingere, "to shape" or "dissemble") with "hearted," an adjectival suffix built on "heart." The word literally suggests a heart grown weak or feeble. It has been in use since at least the late medieval period, alongside parallel formations such as "heavyhearted" and later "halfhearted" and "lighthearted," all of which use physical states of the heart to describe emotional dispositions.
Related word forms
How fainthearted is actually used
Common in both formal and informal registers. Often used in the fixed phrase "not for the fainthearted" to warn that something is intense, risky, or demanding. Carries a mildly negative connotation but is frequently used humorously.
Easily confused with fainthearted
"Halfhearted" means lacking enthusiasm or effort, while "fainthearted" means lacking courage or being easily frightened.