in vain

Idioms  

1. To no avail, useless, as in All our work was in vain. [c. 1300] Also see take someone's name in vain.

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Example Sentences

It is a slog she has dealt with for years, while searching in vain for reasonably priced housing near work.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We can't bring Meg back but what we can make sure is that her death isn't in vain," said Mrs Draper.

From BBC

Van Veen's hard work looked to be in vain as he missed five match darts, but Humphries was equally wasteful and fell to a fourth consecutive loss to the Dutchman.

From BBC

"Unless lessons are learned, and fundamental change is implemented in Northern Ireland, the human and financial cost and sacrifice of the Covid-19 pandemic will have been in vain."

From BBC

For there, in the unsteady light, was Lord Fredrick Ashton himself, tangled in cobwebs that he tried in vain to bat away.

From Literature

Related Words

• fruitless
• hollow
• impractical
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• insufficient
• trivial
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain
• worthless