What does "fain" mean?
To be delighted or glad about (someone or something); to rejoice in; also, to favour or prefer (someone or something).
Fain
/feɪn/ adj, adv, name, verb
adj, adv, name, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To be delighted or glad about (someone or something); to rejoice in; also, to favour or prefer (someone or something).
- Grammar: fain is listed as adj, adv, name, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: gladly, aching for, acquiescent, agreeable.
- Useful contrasts: disinclined, loath, reluctant.
- Usage evidence: Then opes the casks, which good Acestes, fain / at parting, filled on the Trinacrian beach, / and shares the wine, and soothes their drooping hearts with speech.
How to use "fain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fain" is acting as adj, adv, name, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "gladly" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To be delighted or glad about (someone or something); to rejoice in; also, to favour or prefer (someone or something). archaic, obsolete, rare, transitive
"Hovv often vvould the Svvaines prepare their Morrice & their May / To haue a ſight of her, vvhen all enamoured vvent their vvay? / The ſprevvſeſt Citie-Lads for her vvould faine the Countrie-aire, / And that their prouder Girles had but adultrate beauties ſvvaire, […]"
- 2 To make (someone) glad; to gladden; hence, to congratulate (someone); to welcome (someone). archaic, obsolete, transitive
- 3 To celebrate or worship; specifically, to offer an oblation which is not a sacrificial blót (“ceremonial offering”). Germanic, archaic, intransitive, obsolete
- 4 Chiefly followed by of, in, on, or to: to be delighted or glad; to rejoice. archaic, intransitive, obsolete
"A diſtaffe in her other hand ſhe had, / Vpon the vvhich ſhe litle ſpinnes, but ſpils, / And faynes to vveaue falſe tales and leaſings bad, / To throvv amongſt the good, vvhich others had diſprad."
- 5 To desire, to wish. archaic, intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased. UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic
"VVhat is the truſt or ſtrength of fooliſh man? / They that of late vvere daring vvith their ſcoffes, / Are glad and faine by flight to ſaue themſelues."
- 2 Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.; Glad, contented, or satisfied to do something in the absence of a better alternative. UK, archaic, dialectal, poetic
"[T]hey vvere faine to patche uppe the Matter vvith a little piece of Paper clappid over the foreſaid VVordes, […]"
- 3 Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased.; Compelled or obliged to. UK, archaic, broadly, dialectal, poetic
"Penker in his ſermõ [sermon] ſo loſt his voice that he was faine to leaue of [off] & come downe in the middes."
- 4 Chiefly followed by to, or (obsolete) for or of: eager or willing, or inclined. UK, archaic, dialectal
"Man and Birds are fayne of climbing high."
- 5 Favourable, well-disposed. archaic, obsolete
"I felt a spirit of love begin to stir / Within my heart, long time unfelt till then; / And saw Love coming towards me, fair and fain, / (That I scarce knew him for his joyful cheer,) / Saying, "Be now indeed my worshipper!"."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Accustomed, apt, wont. archaic, obsolete
"[S]carcely ſhe could ryde, / And eke through heauie armes, vvhich ſore annoyd / The Prince on foot, not vvonted ſo to fare; / VVhoſe ſteadie hand vvas faine his ſteede to guyde, / And all the vvay from trotting hard to ſpare, / So vvas his toyle the more, the more that vvas his care."
Adjective
- 1 having made preparations wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Chiefly preceded or followed by would.; With joy or pleasure; gladly. archaic, obsolete
"And in her hand ſhe held a mirrhour bright, / VVherein her face ſhe often vevved fayne, / And in her ſelfe-lou'd ſemblance tooke delight; / For ſhe vvas vvondrous faire, as any liuing vvight."
- 2 Chiefly preceded or followed by would.; By choice or will; willingly. archaic, obsolete
"Now vvould I giue a thouſand furlongs of Sea, for an Acre of barren ground: Long heath, Brovvne firrs, any thing; the vvills aboue be done, but I vvould faine dye a dry death."
Adverb
- 1 with pleasure wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Then opes the casks, which good Acestes, fain / at parting, filled on the Trinacrian beach, / and shares the wine, and soothes their drooping hearts with speech."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fain"?
Common synonyms include: gladly, aching for, acquiescent, agreeable, alacritous, amenable.
How do you use "fain" in a sentence?
Then opes the casks, which good Acestes, fain / at parting, filled on the Trinacrian beach, / and shares the wine, and soothes their drooping hearts with speech.
How do you pronounce "fain"?
Pronounced /feɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English fain (“enjoyable, pleasing; fond of; glad, pleased; good, suitable; happy, joyful”), from Old English fægen (“happy, joyful, fain”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagan (“glad”), from Proto-Germanic *faganaz (“glad”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“joyful; pretty”). Cognates * Old Norse fagna (“to rejoice”), feginn (“glad, joyful”) * Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (faginōn, “to rejoice”) * Old High German fehan, gifehan (“to rejoice”) * Old Saxon fagan, fagin
Etymology 2
From Middle English fain (“eagerly, willingly; gladly, joyfully”), from fain (adjective): see etymology 1.
Etymology 3
From Middle English fainen (“to be glad or joyful, rejoice; to make happy, gladden; to welcome; of an animal: to show happiness, as by wagging the tail; to act fawningly or flatteringly”), from Old English fæġnian (“to be glad, rejoice; to celebrate; to be delighted with, applaud; to wish for”), from Proto-West Germanic *faginōn (“to be glad, rejoice; to make glad, gladden”), from Proto-Germanic *faginōną (“to be glad, rejoice”), from *faganaz (“glad”): see further at etymology 1. Doublet of fawn.
Etymology 4
* As a Jewish surname, variant of Fein. * As an English surname, variant of Fayne. * As a French surname, from placenames deriving from Latin fanum (“temple”) and Vulgar Latin *fangus (“mud, swamp”).