vain
ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile: vain hopes;a vain effort;a vain war.
without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless: vain pageantry;vain display.
Archaic. senseless or foolish.
Idioms about vain
in vain,
without effect or avail; to no purpose: lives lost in vain;to apologize in vain.
in an improper or irreverent manner: to take God's name in vain.
Origin of vain
1synonym study For vain
Other words for vain
| 1 | egotistic, self-complacent, vainglorious, proud, arrogant, overweening |
| 3 | fruitless, unavailing |
| 4 | unimportant, trivial, trifling, nugatory |
Opposites for vain
Other words from vain
- vain·ly, adverb
- vain·ness, noun
- un·vain·, adjective
- un·vain·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with vain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use vain in a sentence
Gutierrez went on to ask if her death would lead to "civil unrest" or if she would "die in vain."
Twitch removes PogChamp emote it says was “the face of… further violence” | Kyle Orland | January 7, 2021 | Ars TechnicaIf we don’t learn something from this and change the way things work to make the world better, then their deaths were completely in vain.
His was a curious temperament, and this sentimentality, born of vainness and idle hours, by no means expressed it all.
Lysbeth | H. Rider Haggard
British Dictionary definitions for vain
/ (veɪn) /
inordinately proud of one's appearance, possessions, or achievements
given to ostentatious display, esp of one's beauty
worthless
senseless or futile
in vain to no avail; fruitlessly
take someone's name in vain
to use the name of someone, esp God, without due respect or reverence
jocular to mention someone's name
Origin of vain
1Derived forms of vain
- vainly, adverb
- vainness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with vain
see in vain; take someone's name in vain.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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