In Vain

Definition: In Vain

In Vain

Adverb

1. To no avail; "he looked for her in vain"; "the city fathers tried vainly to find a solution".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Multilingual Slang

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonym: In Vain

Discourtesy

Verb: be -rude; Adjective: insult; treat with discourtesy; take a name in vain; make bold with, make free with; take a liberty; stare out of countenance, ogle, point at, put to the blush.

Failure

Verb: fail; be unsuccessful; Adjective: not succeed; make vain efforts;Noun: do in vain, labor in vain, toil in vain; flunk; lose one's labor, take nothing by one's motion; bring to naught, make nothing of; wash a blackamoor white; (impossible); roll the stones of Sisyphus; (useless); do by halves; (not complete); lose ground; (recede); fall short of.

Noun: failure; nonsuccess, nonfulfillment; dead failure, successlessness; abortion, miscarriage; brutum fulmen; labor in vain; (inutility); no go; inefficacy; inefficaciousness; Adjective: vain attempt, ineffectual attempt, abortive attempt, abortive efforts; flash in the pan, "lame and impotent conclusion"; frustration; slip 'twixt cup and lip; (disappointment).

Adverb: unsuccessfully; Adjective: to little or no purpose, in vain, re infecta.

Inutility

Seek after impossibilities, strive after impossibilities; use vain efforts, labor in vain, roll the stone of Sisyphus, beat the air, lash the waves, battre l'eau avec un baton, donner un coup d'epee dans l'eau, fish in the air, milk the ram, drop a bucket into an empty well, sow the sand; bay the moon; preach to the winds, speak to the winds; whistle jigs to a milestone; kick against the pricks, se battre contre des moulins; lock the stable door when the steed is stolen, lock the barn door after the horse is stolen; (too late);seek after impossibilities, strive after impossibilities; use vain efforts, labor in vain, roll the stone of Sisyphus, beat the air, lash the waves, battre l'eau avec un baton, donner un coup d'epee dans l'eau, fish in the air, milk the ram, drop a bucket into an empty well, sow the sand; bay the moon; preach to the winds, speak to the winds; whistle jigs to a milestone; kick against the pricks, se battre contre des moulins; lock the stable door when the steed is stolen, lock the barn door after the horse is stolen; (too late); hold a farthing candle to the sun; cast pearls before swine; (waste); carry coals to Newcastle; (redundancy); wash a blackamoor white; (impossible).

Noun: inutility; uselessness; Adjective: inefficacy, futility; inaptitude; unsubservience; inadequacy; (insufficiency); inefficiency.; (incompetence); unskillfulness; disservice; unfruitfulness;(unproductiveness).; labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus; lost trouble, lost labor; work of Penelope; sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce.

Shortcoming

Noun: shortcoming, failure; falling short; Verb: default, defalcation; leeway; labor in vain, no go.

Waste

Waste its sweetness on the desert air ; cast one's bread upon the waters, cast pearls before swine; employ a steam engine to crack a nut, waste powder and shot, break a butterfly on a wheel; labor in vain; (useless); cut blocks with a razor, pour water into a sieve.

Crosswords: In Vain

If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as if our hard work ain't been in vain for nothing (Singin' in the Rain; writing credit: Betty Comden; Adolph Green)

Hey, he took the Lord's name in vain! I'm tellin' the warden (The Shawshank Redemption; writing credit: Frank Darabont)

Twice I took the name of the Lord in vain, once I slept with the brother of my fiancee, and once I bounced a check at the liquor store, but that was really an accident (Moonstruck; writing credit: John Patrick Shanley. Starring Cher as Loretta Castorini and Nicolas Cage as Ronny Cammareri.)

You made a terrible mistake, and more of our brothers have died in vain. Damn you for forcing me into this position (The Rock; writing credit: David Weisberg; Douglas Cook)

Then, everything's been in vain. (Unendliche Geschichte, Die; writing credit: Michael Ende; Wolfgang Petersen)

I sit and wait in vain (Until You Come Back To Me; performing artist: Aretha Franklin)

It ain't in vain (CRADLE OF LOVE; performing artist: Billy Idol)

She still believes in miracles while others cry in vain (All About Soul; performing artist: Billy Joel)

I promise it won't be in vain (Intuition; performing artist: JEWEL)

I've seen it die in vain (Blaze Of Glory; performing artist: Jon Bon Jovi)

But Not In Vain (1948)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• God's Name in Vain : The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics [BARGAIN PRICE] (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Nothing's in Vain (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Tidal benchmarks under 10 feet of ice Ensign Sainsbury looks in vain for the 1911 benchmarks. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

A bull sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) doesn't agree that Coast Surveyors should land on his rock. Waving flare in vain attempting to frighten him off Crew off of Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship PIONEER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Poster designed by Allen Sandburg, issued by the Office of War Information, Washington, D.C., in 1942, in remembrance of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The poster also features a quotation from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "... we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ...". Credit: NAVY.

That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ... / Berryman. Credit: Library of Congress.

New Jersey must fight on that these shall not have died in vain - that these shall not be born in vain. Credit: Library of Congress.

Empty hours pass as I wait in vain, thoughts enter my mind and feed the rising flame : as the feeling grows I need someone so --. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And that all men may be restrained from invading others rights, and from doing hurt to one another, and the law of nature be observed, which willeth the peace and preservation of all mankind, the execution of the law of nature is, in that state, put into every man's hands, whereby every one has a right to punish the transgressors of that law to such a degree, as may hinder its violation: for the law of nature would, as all other laws that concern men in this world 'be in vain, if there were no body that in the state of nature had a power to execute that law, and thereby preserve the innocent and restrain offenders. (Second Treatise of Government)

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. (The Gettysburg Address)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And Mr. Weston tried, in vain, to make them harmonise better

I hoped, but in vain, that this would satisfy her, and that she would ask no more questions

Therefore, as a man who has not thought and philosophised in vain, I seek no vengeance, plot no evil against thee

They had tried to pull him out, but in vain.

At certain instants her eyes seemed about to trust him but he had waited in vain.

It is not in vain that the farmer remembers and repeats the few Latin words which he has heard

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

In vain

Expressions using "in vain": breath in vain ♦ labor in vain ♦ take in vain ♦ To take a name in vain ♦ To take in vain ♦ To take the name of God in vain ♦ try in vain. Additional references.

Albanian

më kot (vainly). (various references)

Arabic 

‏عبثا (vainly). (various references)

Chinese 

白白 (for nothing, to no purpose), 空 (air, emptied, empty, leisure, sky), 無效 , 枉 (in the wrong, to drop, to fall). (various references)

Czech

zbyteènì, nadarmo, marnì (to no purpose, vainly). (various references)

Danish

forgæves. (various references)

Dutch

tevergeefs. (various references)

Esperanto

vane. (various references)

Faeroese

til einkis. (various references)

Finnish

turhaan (to no purpose, unnecessarily), suotta (to no purpose, unnecessarily), hukkaan (to no purpose). (various references)

French

en vain. (various references)

German

vergeblich (abortive, fruitless, futile, idle, unavailing, unavailingly, unsuccessful, unsuccessfully, useless, vain, vainly), vergebens (abortive, for nothing, fruitless, futile, of no avail, unsuccessfully, useless, vain, vainly), umsonst (abortively, buckshee, for free, for nothing, free, free of charge, gratis, to no avail, to no purpose, unavailing, without success). (various references)

Greek 

μάταια. (various references)

Hebrew 

לשוא (for nothing, vainly, without avail), לריק (fruitless), אל חנם, חנם (for nothing, free, gratis), בדי ריק, ריקם (empty handed). (various references)

Hungarian

hiába (for nothing, to no avail, to no effect, vainly). (various references)

Indonesian

terbuang (expelled), sia-sia (futile, unavailling, useless), cuma-cuma (free in charge, gratis, useless), batal (cancel out, canceled, invalid). (various references)

Italian

invano (no purpose), inutilmente (uselessly). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

徒に (aimlessly, idly, uselessly). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

からぶり (strikingand missing), いたずらに (aimlessly, idly, uselessly), むなしく (fruitlessly, to no purpose). (various references)

Lombard

per nient. (various references)

Pig Latin

inay ainvay.(various references)

Polish

daremnie. (various references)

Portuguese

em vão (vainly), debalde. (various references)

Romanian

de-a surda. (various references)

Russian 

напрасно (all for nothing, to no purpose, unduly, vainly). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

uzalud (vain: in vain). (various references)

Spanish

en vano (for nothing, needlessly, without avail). (various references)

Swedish

förgäves (vainly). (various references)

Turkish

boşuna (empty, for nothing, frantic, gainless, needless, no dice, no go, no good, of no avail, otiose, to no avail, to no end, unavailing, unnecessarily, useless, vainly), beyhude (bootless, futile, inane, useless, vain). (various references)

Ukrainian

марно (fondly, idly, needlessly, of no effect). (various references)

casso, frustra, incassum, inefficaciter, inritus irritus, irrita, irritam, irritas, irriti, irritum. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-2 letters: inia, vain, vina.

-3 letters: ain, ani, inn, nan, van, via.

-4 letters: ai, an, in, na.

+1 letter: minivan.

+2 letters: anviling, invading, invasion, minivans, nirvanic, ravining, vanillin.

+3 letters: antivenin, anvilling, invariant, invasions, inweaving, vanillins, vanishing, vicennial.

+4 letters: antivenins, avianizing, divination, envisaging, evanishing, gaingiving, innovating, innovation, innovative, invaginate, invaliding, invariance, invariants, invitation, invocating, invocation, javelining, navigating, navigation, negativing, nominative, nontrivial, reinvading, reinvasion, unavailing, varnishing.

+5 letters: antivitamin, divinations, enravishing, evagination, gaingivings, galivanting, galvanising, galvanizing, inattentive, incurvating, incurvation, infinitival, innervating, innervation, innovations, insinuative, invaginated, invaginates, invariances, inventorial, invitations, invocations, navigations, nominatives, nonadditive, noninvasive, nonvalidity, pavilioning, preinvasion, reinvasions, undeviating, vacationing, vaccinating, vaccination, vandalising, vandalizing, vanishingly, vanquishing, ventilating, ventilation, vernalizing, vinblastine, vindicating, vindication, vulcanising, vulcanizing.