vain

American  

[veyn] / veɪn /

adjective

vainer, vainest

1. excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited.

   a vain dandy.

   Synonyms:

   overweening, arrogant, proud, vainglorious, self-complacent, egotistic

   Antonyms:

   humble

2. proceeding from or showing pride in or concern about one's appearance, qualities, etc.; resulting from or displaying vanity.

   He made some vain remarks about his accomplishments.

3. ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile.

   vain hopes;

   a vain effort;

   a vain war.

   Synonyms:

   unavailing, fruitless

   Antonyms:

   useful

4. without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless.

   vain pageantry;

   vain display.

   Synonyms:

   nugatory, trifling, trivial

5. Archaic. senseless or foolish.

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idioms

1. in vain,

   1. without effect or avail; to no purpose.

      lives lost in vain;

      to apologize in vain.

   2. in an improper or irreverent manner.

      to take God's name in vain.

vain British  

/ veɪn /

adjective

1. inordinately proud of one's appearance, possessions, or achievements

2. given to ostentatious display, esp of one's beauty

3. worthless

4. senseless or futile

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noun

1. to no avail; fruitlessly

2. 1. to use the name of someone, esp God, without due respect or reverence

   2. humorous to mention someone's name

vain More Idioms  

1. see in vain; take someone's name in vain.

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Related Words

See useless.

Other Word Forms

• unvain adjective
• unvainness noun
• vainly adverb
• vainness noun

Etymology

Origin of vain

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vānus “empty, vain”

Example Sentences

The novel recounts the investigative bread-crumb trail he follows into rural Peru to uncover the background of this vain, mercurial prodigy.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is interesting that they’ve always been enormously vain about the originality of their policy insights, their perceiving before others the rise of populism.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Many people asked me to ignore it, others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just 'play football'," Vinicius said in a post on X.

From BBC

The Pentagon has since tried in vain to demote his military rank and a grand jury have declined to charge him with seditious conspiracy.

From BBC

So far, so clear, but even given the program’s three-sentence synopsis, what unfolds around the vain King fails to deliver narrative clarity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• frivolous
• fruitless
• petty
• trivial