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vanity

American  

[van-i-tee] / ˈvæn ɪ ti /

noun

• vanities
  plural

1. excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit.

   Failure to be elected was a great blow to his vanity.

   Synonyms:

   ostentation, vainglory, complacency, egotism

   Antonyms:

   humility

2. an instance or display of this quality or feeling.

3. something about which one is vain or excessively proud.

   His good looks are his greatest vanity.

4. lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness.

   the vanity of a selfish life.

   Synonyms:

   futility, triviality, folly, unreality, sham, emptiness

5. something worthless, trivial, or pointless.

6. vanity case.

7. dressing table.

8. a wide, counterlike shelf containing a wash basin, as in the bathroom of a hotel or residence, often equipped with shelves, drawers, etc., underneath.

9. a cabinet built below or around a bathroom sink, primarily to hide exposed pipes.

10. compact.

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adjective

1. produced as a showcase for one's own talents, especially as a writer, actor, singer, or composer.

   surprisingly entertaining for a vanity production.

2. of, relating to, or issued by a vanity press.

   a spate of vanity books.

vanity British  

/ ˈvænɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being vain; excessive pride or conceit

2. ostentation occasioned by ambition or pride

3. an instance of being vain or something about which one is vain

4. the state or quality of being valueless, futile, or unreal

5. something that is worthless or useless

6. short for vanity unit

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Usage

What does vanity mean? Vanity is the excessive pride in oneself, usually related to appearance or accomplishments, as in Simon’s vanity wouldn’t let him purchase a more practical car. Vanity can also refer to something a person is overly proud of, as in Lars’ only real vanity was his singing ability. Vanity can also refer to an area with a mirror where you would groom yourself, like a dressing table or a counter and sink. A vanity can also be a place for storing grooming products, such as a shelf, cupboard, or case. Example: That museum of vanity that he calls a house is just full of his own artwork and paintings.

Synonym Usage

See pride.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vanitied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vanities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of vanity

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English vanite from Old French vanité from Latin vānitās, equivalent to vān- ( see vain) + -itās -ity

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Explanation

Vanity is the quality of being vain, or having a ridiculous amount of pride. If you have excessive vanity in your appearance, you probably spend long hours sitting at your vanity table doing your makeup or plucking your nose hairs. If you pride yourself on looking absolutely perfect and refuse to do any work that might dirty your clothes or mess up your hair, someone might accuse you of vanity. Often vanity is empty, like the emperor’s in The Emperor's New Clothes. If someone pays to have her own book published even though it’s really bad, we say it is a vanity printing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vanity vanities

In interviews and via his vanity cards he would, occasionally, rail against television critics, network censors, reality TV and the Television Academy, which consistently overlooked his series in the best comedy category.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The spa-inspired bathroom includes a dual vanity, a glass-enclosed walk-in shower, and a separate soaking tub.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Flannery added: "I wish, in my political heart, it was all now irrelevant. But with my vanity and my desire to be listened to as a writer, I do feel validated."

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

But in February, Graham finally managed to get Trump over the line, appealing to his vanity by shamelessly comparing him to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Whenever we stayed with Grandma Smith, she brought me into her bedroom and sat me down at the vanity table, which was covered with little pastel-colored bottles of perfumes and powders.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Upholstered furniture, cabinets and vanities from the north weren’t about to invade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The primary bathroom comes complete with an elegant design, including a soaking tub, fireplace, and dual vanities.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026

Critics come in for harsher abuse, but Mr. Ireland spreads around his comical scorn about the vanities and hypocrisies of theater folk liberally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

The bathrooms feature double marble vanities, a soaking tub, and a glass-enclosed shower.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026

He looked to the skies, feeling a bit abashed, and said, “I know it’s the vanity of vanities, as you said, my Lord. But an old king sometimes has to take some pride in himself.”

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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