faintly
Translation
faintly, weakly, dimly
Examples
I could faintly hear the music.
I could faintly hear the music.
She smiled faintly at the joke.
She smiled faintly at the joke.
Grammar Patterns
((verb)) faintly to do something faintly I could faintly hear the music.
Similar Words
Synonyms: weakly, dimly, slightly; Antonyms: strongly, clearly, brightly
Etymology
From the adjective 'faint' (weak, dim) + the adverb-forming suffix '-ly'.
Memory Tips
If a sound is 'faint', you can only hear it 'faintly'. The '-ly' suffix signals that it's an adverb describing an action.