faint vs obscure

faint

adj
  • Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp 

  • Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness 

  • Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy 

  • Slight; minimal. 

  • Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected 

verb
  • To decay; to disappear; to vanish. 

  • To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions). 

  • To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent. 

noun
  • The act of fainting, syncope. 

  • The state of one who has fainted; a swoon. 

obscure

adj
  • Dark, faint or indistinct. 

  • Difficult to understand. 

  • Not well-known. 

  • Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous. 

  • Unknown or uncertain; unclear. 

verb
  • To hide, put out of sight etc. 

  • To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious. 

How often have the words faint and obscure occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )