Meaning & use
faint praise
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Meaning
phraseuncountable
A compliment that is so weak or hesitant that it seems like criticism or a lack of real enthusiasm.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase; often appears after 'damn with' or in the pattern 'faint praise indeed'.
Patterns
- damn someone with faint praise
- be faint praise
- faint praise indeed
The review said the film was 'not entirely boring', which many saw as faint praise.
When the teacher called his essay 'adequate', it felt like faint praise.
Her comment that the cake was 'edible' was faint praise at best.
Common combinations
- damn with faint praise
- The critic damned the new novel with faint praise, calling it 'readable'.
- faint praise indeed
- He said my cooking was 'better than last time' — faint praise indeed.
- seem like faint praise
- Saying the concert was 'fine' seemed like faint praise to the musicians.
Synonyms and how they differ
- backhanded compliment
- A backhanded compliment is a remark that sounds positive but is actually insulting or critical, while faint praise is simply weak and unenthusiastic rather than directly insulting.
- lukewarm praise
- Lukewarm praise means showing only slight enthusiasm, but it does not carry the same implication that the praise is almost an insult as faint praise does.
Opposites
Commonly confused: faint praise or feint praise?
faint praise vs feint praise
Feint is a noun or verb meaning a deceptive movement, especially in sports or military contexts; it is not used in this phrase. Faint here means weak or lacking strength.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'faint praise' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The manager's 'not bad' is a weak compliment that sounds unenthusiastic, which matches the meaning of faint praise. Option 0 describes strong praise, not faint. Option 2 describes loud cheering, which is not faint. Option 3 contradicts the meaning by saying it boosted confidence completely.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “faint praise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.