Fade

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Fade, a. [F., prob. fr. L. vapidus vapid, or possibly fr,fatuus foolish, insipid.].

 Weak; insipid; tasteless; commonplace.  Jeffrey.  [1913 Webster]
"His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous."  [1913 Webster]

Fade, v. i. [OE. faden, vaden, prob. fr. fade, a.; cf. Prov. D. vadden to fade, wither, vaddigh languid, torpid. Cf. Fade, a., Vade.].

•  To become fade; to grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant.  [1913 Webster]

  "The earth mourneth and fadeth away."  [1913 Webster]
•  To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]
•  To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish.  [1913 Webster]

  "The stars shall fade away."  [1913 Webster]

  "He makes a swanlike end,
  Fading in music."  [1913 Webster]

Fade, v. t. 

 To cause to wither; to deprive of freshness or vigor; to wear away.  [1913 Webster]
"No winter could his laurels fade."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Fade, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. & tr. lose or cause to lose colour.
2 intr. lose freshness or strength; (of flowers etc.) droop, wither.
3 intr. a (of colour, light, etc.) disappear gradually; grow pale or dim. b (of sound) grow faint.
4 intr. (of a feeling etc.) diminish.
5 intr. (foll. by away, out) (of a person etc.) disappear or depart gradually.
6 tr. (foll. by in, out) Cinematog. & Broadcasting a cause (a picture) to come gradually in or out of view on a screen, or to merge into another shot. b make (the sound) more or less audible.
7 intr. (of a radio signal) vary irregularly in intensity.
8 intr. (of a brake) temporarily lose effectiveness.
9 Golf a intr. (of a ball) deviate from a straight course, esp. in a deliberate slice. b tr. cause (a ball) to fade.
--n. the action or an instance of fading.

Idiom

do a fade sl. depart. fade away colloq. languish, grow thin. fade-in Cinematog. & Broadcasting the action or an instance of fading in a picture or sound. fade-out
1 colloq. disappearance, death.
2 Cinematog. & Broadcasting the action or an instance of fading out a picture or sound.

Derivative

fadeless adj. fader n. (in sense 6 of v.).

Etymology

ME f. OF fader f. fade dull, insipid prob. ult. f. L fatuus silly + vapidus VAPID

THESAURUS

Fade

abate, achromatize, age, ante, ante up, antiquate, arid, attenuate, avoid, back, back-number, banal, barren, be annihilated, be consumed, be destroyed, be gone, be no more, be wiped out, become extinct, become obsolete, bet, bet on, bewhiskered, blah, blanch, blank, bleach, bleach out, blench, blink, bloodless, break, bromidic, call, cave in, cease, cease to be, cease to exist, change color, characterless, cheat the undertaker, clear, cloud over, cold, collapse, colorless, come apart, come unstuck, common, commonplace, conk out, corny, cover, cringe, crumble, cut-and-dried, date, dead, decay, decline, decolor, decolorize, deliquesce, dematerialize, depart, desiccate, deteriorate, die, die away, die out, dilute, diluted, dim, diminish, disappear, discolor, disintegrate, dismal, dispel, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, do a fade-out, dodder, dodge, draggy, drain, drain of color, draw back, drearisome, dreary, drift away, droop, drop, dry, dry up, dryasdust, duck, dull, dusty, dwindle, ebb, effete, elephantine, empty, erode, etiolate, etiolated, evade, evanesce, evaporate, exit, expire, fade away, fade out, fail, faint, fall, fall away, fall back, fall off, familiar, fizzle out, flag, flat, flavorless, flee, fleet, flinch, flit, fly, fossilize, fume, fust, fusty, gamble, get along, get on, give out, give way, go, go away, go down, go downhill, go off, go soft, go to pieces, grow dim, grow old, grow pale, gruelly, hackney, hackneyed, hang back, hazard, heavy, hide, hit a slump, hit rock bottom, hit the skids, ho-hum, hollow, inane, indifferent, inexcitable, insipid, jejune, jib, languish, lapse, lay, lay a wager, lay down, leaden, leave no trace, leave the scene, lessen, lifeless, lose color, lose currency, lose strength, low-spirited, make a bet, meet a bet, melt, melt away, melt like snow, mild, milk-and-water, moderate, molder, moth-eaten, move away, move off, muddy, musty, obsolesce, old hat, outdate, pale, pallid, pappy, parlay, pass, pass away, pass out, peak, pedestrian, peg out, perish, peroxide, peter out, pine, platitudinous, play against, plodding, plunge, pointless, poky, ponderous, poop out, pull away, pull back, pulpy, punt, quail, rarefy, reach the depths, recede, recoil, reel back, retire, retire from sight, retreat, retrocede, run down, rust, sag, sapless, savorless, sear, see, set, shake, sheer off, shrink, shrink back, shrivel, shy, sidestep, sink, sink away, slide, slip, slow, slump, spiceless, spiritless, square, stake, stale, stand off, stand pat, start aside, start back, stereotyped, sterile, stiff, stock, stodgy, stuffy, subside, suffer an eclipse, superannuate, superficial, swerve, tarnish, tasteless, tedious, thin, threadbare, timeworn, tone down, totter, touch bottom, trite, truistic, turn aside, turn gray, turn pale, turn white, unflavored, unlively, unoriginal, unsavory, vanish, vanish from sight, vapid, wager, wan, wane, warmed-over, wash out, washy, waste, waste away, watered, watered-down, watery, weak, weaken, wear away, wear thin, weasel, weasel out, well-known, well-worn, whiten, widen the distance, wilt, wince, wishy-washy, withdraw, wither, wither away, wizen, wooden, worn, worn thin, wrinkle, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

Fade

Unsubstantiality

VB vanish, evaporate, fade, dissolve, melt away, disappear.

Deterioration

VB be worse, be deteriorated, become worse, become deteriorated Adj, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate.

N deterioration, debasement, wane, ebb, recession, retrogradation, decrease, degeneracy, degeneration, degenerateness, degradation, depravation, depravement, devolution, depravity, demoralization, retrogression, masochism, impairment, inquination, injury, damage, loss, detriment, delaceration, outrage, havoc, inroad, ravage, scath, perversion, prostitution, vitiation, discoloration, oxidation, pollution, defoedation, poisoning, venenation, leaven, contamination, canker, corruption, adulteration, alloy, decline, declension, declination, decadence, decadency, falling off, caducity, decrepitude, decay, dilapidation, ravages of time, wear and tear, corrosion, erosion, moldiness, rottenness, moth and rust, dry rot, blight, marasmus, atrophy, collapse, disorganization, delabrement (destruction), aphid, Aphis, plant louse, puceron, vinefretter, vinegrub, wreck, mere wreck, honeycomb, magni nominis umbra, jade, plug, rackabones, skate, tackey, tacky, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate, Adj, unimproved &c (improve), deteriorated, altered, altered for the worse, injured, sprung, withering, spoiling, on the wane, on the decline, tabid, degenerate, marescent, worse, the worse for, all the worse for, out of repair, out of tune, imperfect, the worse for wear, battered, weathered, weather-beaten, stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare, worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags, reduced, reduced to a skeleton, far gone, tacky, decayed, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown, discolored, effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted, depraved, decrepid, decrepit, broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat, out of action, broken down, done, done for, done up, worn out, used up, finished, beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work, at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs, undermined, deciduous, nodding to its fall, tottering, past cure, fatigued, retrograde, deleterious, out of the frying pan into the fire, agrescit medendo, what a falling off was there!.

Transientness

VB be transient, flit, pass away, fly, gallop, vanish, fade, evaporate, pass away like a cloud, pass away like a summer cloud, pass away like a shadow, pass away like a dream.

Oldness

VB be old, have had its day, have seen its day, become old, age, fade, senesce.

Weakness

VB be weak, drop, crumble, give way, totter, tremble, shake, halt, limp, fade, languish, decline, flag, fail, have one leg in the grave, render weak, weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, shake, deprive of strength, relax, enervate, eviscerate, unbrace, unnerve, cripple, unman, cramp, reduce, sprain, strain, blunt the edge of, dilute, impoverish, decimate, extenuate, reduce in strength, reduce the strength of, mettre de l'eau dans son vin.

Insipidity

N insipidity, blandness, tastelessness, bland, void of taste, insipid, tasteless, gustless, savorless, ingustible, mawkish, milk and water, weak, stale, flat, vapid, fade, wishy-washy, mild, untasted.

Dimness

VB be dim, grow dim, flicker, twinkle, glimmer, loom, lower, fade, pale, pale its ineffectual fire, render dim, dim, bedim, obscure, darken, tone down.

Achromatism

VB lose color, fade, fly, go, become colorless, turn pale, pale, deprive of color, decolorize, bleach, tarnish, achromatize, blanch, etiolate, wash out, tone down.

Disappearance

VB disappear, vanish, dissolve, fade, melt away, pass, go, avaunt, evaporate, vaporize, be gone, leave no trace, leave 'not a rack behind', go off the stage, suffer an eclipse, undergo an eclipse, retire from sight, be lost to view, pass out of sight, lose sight of, efface.