as in willing
having a desire or inclination (as for a specified course of action)
during the Renaissance most men of science and the arts were fain to express their noblest thoughts in Latin, the lingua franca of the learned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rather
by choice or preference
"I would fain not marry that suitor, my lord," the princess pleaded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fain
Adjective
-
There’s a lot of fear of China in Japan, economically and militarily, and, even though people understand there’s interdependence between the two countries, Takaichi is seen as being willing to stand up to China, which inspires a kind of nationalism.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026 -
One question that came up is what else any city would be willing or unwilling to fly.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
For another, this drubbing, unlike many previous ones, was triggered not by fears of a bubble but rather concern that AI is on the verge of supplanting the business models of a wide swathe of companies that doomsayers have long predicted were at risk.—
Brody Ford,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
According to this idea, although these objects may look like supersize red stars, their shine is powered not by standard stellar thermonuclear fusion but rather by the relentless funneling of burning-hot plasma into the insatiable maw of a snowballing black hole.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Check out new opportunities and be ready to act fast on them.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
-
With Carlton, newcomer Aaliyah Crump and sophomore guard Jordan Lee — who's showing signs of getting her offensive groove back — settling into solid support roles, the Horns still have the overall look of a group ready to make a return to the Final Four.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Investigators do not believe Nancy Guthrie left her home willingly and that she was abducted in her sleep early Sunday morning, the Pima County Sheriff's Department told ABC News.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Volunteers often are needed for low-level jobs that Quimby does willingly, including keeping track of how long a person is taking for a shower, arbitrating the line for use of two bathrooms, and moderating use of washers and driers.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Hornsby is sure glad to have him as a teammate.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Just glad to have this uniform on.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But Porter seemed less inclined to alter a recent rule change that grouped coaches and contributors with old-time players that played a role in Belichick missing out despite winning a record six Super Bowls as a head coach.—
Josh Dubow,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Porter didn’t seem inclined to change that process, saying that for more than 50 years coaches and contributors were grouped with players before changes about 10 years ago.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fain. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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