Vanity Fair

American  

noun

1. (in Bunyan'sPilgrim's Progress ) a fair that goes on perpetually in the town of Vanity and symbolizes worldly ostentation and frivolity.

2. (often lowercase) any place or group, as the world or fashionable society, characterized by or displaying a preoccupation with idle pleasures or ostentation.

3. (italics) a novel (1847–48) by Thackeray.

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Vanity Fair British  

noun

1. literary (often not capitals) the social life of a community, esp of a great city, or the world in general, considered as symbolizing worldly frivolity

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Vanity Fair Cultural  

1. (1847–1848) A novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray. The leading character is Becky Sharp, an unscrupulous woman who gains wealth and influence by her cleverness.

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Etymology

Origin of Vanity Fair

from Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress

Example Sentences

Vanity Fair dubbed her an “improbable feminist icon.”

From Slate • May 6, 2026

Maureen Orth is a longtime magazine journalist whose work in Vanity Fair tackled the power and privilege of celebrity.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

A 2018 Vanity Fair feature about the downfall of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein contained a fleeting detail about two statuettes that the Weinstein Company won back-to-back for The King's Speech and The Artist.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

It’s ironic that many A.I. overlords are so obsessed with taste lately, lurking at Prada shows and Vanity Fair parties.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

“In high school I read jane Eyre, Vanity Fair, Great Expectations, et cetera,” Immie went on.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart