Faded

How to spell faded

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce faded

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does faded mean?

1. adjectiveHaving lost brightness, colour, or freshness over time.
2. verbPast tense of 'fade': lost colour, strength, or intensity gradually.

Faded in a sentence

• adjective

  The faded curtains had hung in the sunny window for years.

• verb

  The music slowly faded as the credits rolled across the screen.

• adjective

  He wore a pair of faded jeans to the weekend barbecue.

• verb

  The bright paint on the fence faded after a single summer.

Where does faded come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the past form of the verb 'fade', which English took from Old French in the 1300s. The Old French verb 'fader' meant to wither, grow pale, or lose vigour, and it was built on the adjective 'fade', meaning pale, dull, or insipid. Scholars believe that French adjective came from a Vulgar Latin word, perhaps 'fatidus', thought to be a blend of Latin 'fatuus', meaning silly or tasteless, and 'vapidus', meaning flat or spiritless (the same root that gives us 'vapid'). The earliest English uses described colours and plants losing their freshness, and the meaning soon broadened to anything growing dimmer or weaker. The spelling is regular: keep the silent 'e' of 'fade' in mind, drop it, and add '-ed' to get 'faded'.

How the word is built

• fade (to lose colour or strength)
• -ed (past tense / past participle)