Vain

Definition: Vain

Vain

Adjective

1. Characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance; "a conceited fool"; "an attitude of self-conceited arrogance"; "an egotistical disregard of others"; "so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty"; "growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary"; "vain about her clothes".

2. Unproductive of success; "a fruitless search"; "futile years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain attempt".

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

Date "vain" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Vain

Indifference

Insipid; vain.

Inexistence

Unreal, potential, virtual; baseless, in nubibus; unsubstantial; vain.

Unimportance

Poor, paltry, pitiful; contemptible; (contempt); sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery; one-horse. not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw; Noun: beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration; de lana caprina; vain; (useless).

Crosswords: Vain

Finnish (alone, but, exclusively, just, merely, only, solely), French (abortive, aimless, conceited, frivolous, fruitless, futile, idle, pointless, unavailing, unsuccessful, useless, vain, wasted, worthless, wretched).

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.)

Joker's vain and likes to talk, he'll try to distract you, but don't listen (Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker; writing credit: Bob Kane; Paul Dini)

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)

You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you (YOU'RE SO VAIN; performing artist: Carly Simon)

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)

Oh, you're so vain (Big Machine; performing artist: Goo Goo Dolls)

Alppikengistä jäljet vain jää (1973)

Vain neljä kertaa (1968)

But Not In Vain (1948)

Vain sinulle (1945)

Yövartija vain... (1940)

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

Books

• Vain Empires: Poems (Penguin Poets) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• In Love In Vain (reference)

• 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.

"T'were Vain To Tell Thee All I Feel." / Published by Currier & Ives. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

[A vain book collector]. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

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.

The sun sets on a broken wagon wheel, symbolic of the vain efforts to farm on the dry arid land of central Oregon. Credit: Library of Congress.

Rusting and battered combines of more prosperous days show how vain efforts are to grow wheat in the dry central Oregon area. 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.

It had not been forgotten before, but it had been soon acknowledged vain to attempt to fix a day.

And his great generous soul seemed so filled with noble ambition as to have no space left for any vain regret or selfish repining

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.

Come to Him, poor sinner, poor vain and erring sinner

It may be vain to ask why the imagination will not be reconciled to flesh and fat.

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

Vain brightness

Vain

Vain pictures

Expressions using "vain": as vain as a peacock ♦ be vain ♦ be vain of ♦ become vain ♦ breath in vain ♦ For vain ♦ grow vain ♦ 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 ♦ vain attempt ♦ vain discussions ♦ vain expectation ♦ vain life ♦ vain man ♦ vain promise ♦ vain talk ♦ vain thing ♦ vain woman. Additional references.

Afrikaans

vrugteloos (abortive, fruitless, futile, useless). (various references)

Albanian

mendjemadh (arrogant, conceited, haughty, proud-spirited, self-conceited, stuck up, vainglorious), mendjelehtë (airily, facile, featherbrain, featherbrained, featherheaded, frivolous, giddy, harebrained, hoity toity, light minded, light-headed, lightsome, unreflecting, unthinking), i pavlerë (bad, barren, base, catchpenny, chaffy, cheap, crummy, dud, expendable, fiddling, footling, frivolous, futile, jejune, measly, nugatory, paltry, peddling, tawdry, threepenny, trashy, valueless, worthless), i padobi (worthless), i kotë (feckless, footling, futile, good for nothing, needless, otiose, pointless, unavailing, useless, wanton, worthless). (various references)

Arabic 

باطل (false, futile), ‏فاسد (abusive, bad, corrupt, decadent, decayed, decomposed, degenerated, depraved, disintegrated, evil, false, foul, immoral, incorrect, infected, invalid, null, perverse, pervertible, putrid, rogue, rotten, spoiled, unsound, vicious, void, wicked, wrong), ‏فارغ (barren, blank, empty, flatulent, hollow, idle, inane, leisure, meaningless, pointless, senseless, silly, stupid, vacuous, windy), ‏مهدور (futile, useless), ‏مغرور (allured, arrogant, cocky, conceited, dazzled, deceived, deluded, fooled, haughty, lured, misled, overweening, popinjay, proud, self-conceited, self-important, snobbish, vainglorious), ‏مزهو, ‏معجب بنفسه (conceited, overbearing, overweening, self-important, smug), ‏مختال (self-important, vainglorious), ‏هزوا بغير إحترام, ‏تافه (banal, commonplace, contemptible, crummy, fade, fiddling, flat, foolish, footling, fractional, frivolous, frothy, good for nothing, inane, inconsiderable, insignificant, junk, light, lilliputian, little, lowbrow, measly, minute, naught, negligible, niggling, nonsensical, nugatory, null, paltry, pedestrian, petty, piddling, pimping, piteous, pitiable, platitudinous, pointless, puny, ridiculous, run of the mill, silly, slight, slim, small time, smelly, stupid, trifle, trifling, trite, trivial, trumpery, two a penny, two bit, twopenny-halfpenny, unimportant, unsavory, unsavoury, unworthy, valueless, vapid, vile, worthless), ‏عقيم (barren, effete, fruitless, futile, ineffectual, sterile, unfruitful, unproductiveness, useless, void), ‏عديم الفائدة (do nothing, useless). (various references)

Bulgarian 

суетен (earthborn, earthly, foppish, vainglorious), самомнителен (bumptious, cocky, conceited, overweening, self sufficient, swanky, swashbuckling, uppish, uppity, upstage), горд (chesty, dignified, high minded, proud, proud-spirited, sublime), неоснователен (gratuitous, groundless, idle, insubstantial, reasonless, unfounded, ungrounded, vexatious), напразен (idle, nugatory, pointless, unavailing, unprofitable, useless), лъжовен, лъжлив (bogus, deceitful, deceptive, delusive, delusory, double, double-tongued, elusory, false, lying, mendacious, misleading, mock, perjurious, phantasmagoric, pretended, quack, shifty, spoof, tinsel, truthless, untrue, untruthful), безсъдържателен (empty, idle, inane, insignificant, jejune, meager, meagre, pithless, sterile, unmeaning, vacuous, watery), безсмислен (absurd, aimless, futile, inane, insensate, inutile, meaningless, mindless, needless, nonsense, nonsensical, pointless, preposterous, purposeless, senseless, sorry, stupid, tomfool, unmeaning, vacuous), безполезен (baubling, bootless, fruitless, futile, ineffective, inutile, naught, needless, no good, nugatory, otiose, pointless, sorry, superfluous, trashy, unavailing, unhelpful, up the spout, useless, void, worthless), безплоден (abortive, arid, fruitless, infertile, still-born, trashy, unfruitful), пуст (bleak, desert, deserted, desolate, drear, empty, harsh, inane, infernal, inhospitable, uncouth, uninhabited, vacant, waste, wild, yeasty), празен (airy, airy fairy, bare, barren, blank, empty, hollow, idle, inane, light, loose, piffling, pithless, purposeless, sounding, superficial, uncharged, unsubstantial, untenanted, vacant, vacuous, void, yeasty). (various references)

Chinese 

虛 (devoid of content, empty, false, void), 自负 (Egotism, Egotistic, Egotistical, Self-conceit, self-conceited). (various references)

Czech

pyšný (lofty, proud), marnivý, marný (fruitless, futile, hopeless, unsuccessful, useless, wasteful), ješitný (conceited, holier-than-thou, stuck up), domýšlivý (arrogant, assuming, conceited, haughty, high and mighty, perky, pretentious, small beer, smug, snotty, uppish, upstage). (various references)

Danish

forfængelig (conceited, frivolous). (various references)

Dutch

vergeefs (abortive, fruitless, futile, useless), nutteloos (abortive, fruitless, futile, good-for-nothing, useless). (various references)

Esperanto

vanta (conceited, frivolous), vana (abortive, futile, useless). (various references)

Faeroese

lítilsverdur (conceited, frivolous), fáfongdur (conceited, frivolous), erpin (conceited, frivolous). (various references)

Farsi 

پوچ (Absurd, Airy, Empty, Hollow, Inane, Inoperative, Invalid, Nude, Nugatory, Sawdust, Unmeaning, Vacuous, Void), مغرورانه (Contemptuous, Lofty), مغرور (Bigheaded, Haughty, Jaunty, Overbearing, Presumptuous, Proud, Snob, Snobbish, Stuffy, Supercilious, Swagger, Uppish), ناچیز (Inconsequential, Inconsiderable, Little, Meager, Negligible, Nugatory, Pelting, Peppercorn, Piddling, Poor, Runty, Scrimp, Straw, Teeny, Trifle, Trivial), تهی (Barren, Basic, Devoid, Empty, Hollow, Inane, Indigent, Jejune, Leer, Toom, Vacuous, Void), عبث (Absurd), خودبین (Arrogant, Egocentric, Presumptuous, Smug), جزءی (Immaterial, Imperceptible, Inappreciative, Inconsiderable, Inconspicuous, Little, Minuscule, Minute, Negligible, Nip, Nominal, Paltry, Partial, Peppercorn, Petty, Piddling, Remote, Retail, Rush, Small, Snatch, Trivial), بیفایده (Ineffective, Ineffectual), بیهوده (Idle, Impracticable, Ineffective, Ineffectual, Jejune, Rodomontade, Trashy, Unfruitful), بطوربیهوده , باطل (Inoperative, Invalid, Null, Void). (various references)

Finnish

turha (abortive, fruitless, futile, needless, of no use, unnecessary, useless). (various references)

French

vain, vaniteux (vainglorious). (various references)

Frisian

idel (abortive, fruitless, futile, useless). (various references)

German

eitel (bootless, conceited, frivolous, idle, vainly), vergeblich (abortive, fruitless, futile, idle, in vain, unavailing, unavailingly, unsuccessful, unsuccessfully, useless, vainly), leer (bare, blank, blankly, blanks, devoid, empty, free, frothily, frothy, hollow, idle, no-op, specious, unseeing, untenanted, vacant, vacuous, vacuously, vapid, void). (various references)

Greek 

ξιπασμένοσ (above oneself, cocky, conceited, consequential, pretentious, stuck up, uppish), ξιπασμένος (pompous, pretentious), μάταιοσ (feckless, futile, idle, inane, nugatory, otiose, pointless), μάταιος (frustrate), ματαιόδοξοσ (conceited, vainglorious), ματαιόδοξος, εγωκε, ανωφελήσ (futile, in vain, ineffective, profitless, unavailing, useless), ανωφελής (useless). (various references)

Hebrew 

מתרברב (bumptious, overweening, popinjay), מ� ופח (exaggerated, haughty, inflated, snotty, swollen, windy), שוא (falsehood, lie, nothingness, vanity, worthlessness), חסר תועלת (futile, ineffective, no earthly use, otiose, useless), חסר ערך (fiddling, junk, light, paltry, picayune, pip squeak, rubbishy, trashy, two bit, twopenny half penny, valueless, worthless), �"בלי (conceited), ריקן (empty, ignorant, illiterate), ריק� י (hollow), ריקא (empty headed), ריק (blank, emptiness, empty, vacant, vacuity, vacuum, vanity, void). (various references)

Hungarian

hiú (chesty, foppish, frustrate, illusory, self-conceited). (various references)

Indonesian

sombong (assertive, bigheaded, boastful, egotistic, haughty, plume, proud, uppish, vainglorious), percuma (gratuitous, see: cuma-cuma), genit (firtatious, missish, prim, prudish), gagal (abortive, fail, misfire, unsuccessful). (various references)

Italian

vanitoso (conceited, frivolous), vano (coquettish, doorway, empty, fruitless, futile, idle, ineffectual, nugatory, pointless, pretty, room, space, unsuccessful, useless). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

�' (frivolous, futile, gang, party, set, transient). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

くうそ (futile, groundless), あじきない (insipid, irksome, wearisome, wretched), あじけない (insipid, irksome, wearisome, wretched), あ� (enemy, enmity, evil, feud, foe, frivolous, futile, grudge, harm, invasion, revenge, ruin, transient), むなしい (empty, futile, ineffective, lifeless, vacant, void), むえき (futile, useless), はかない (empty, ephemeral, fickle, fleeting, miserable, momentary, short-lived, transient). (various references)

Korean 

헛된 (Wasteful). (various references)

Lombard

per nient (in vain). (various references)

Manx

stroineeishagh (haughty, vainglorious). (various references)

Pig Latin

ainvay.(various references)

Polish

daremny (abortive, fruitless, futile, useless). (various references)

Portuguese

vão (abortive, aperture, baubling, empty, fruitless, futile, interspace, needless, nugatory, porthole, unavailing, useless), vaidoso (cockalorum, conceited, frivolous, grand, overweening, presumptuous, pretentious, proud, proud-spirited, self-satisfied, uppish, vainglorious), inútil (abortive, bootless, castaway, empty, fruitless, futile, good-for-nothing, naught, needless, no-go, nugatory, purposeless, rat-trap, sterile, superfluous, supervacaneous, trashy, unavailable, unavailing, unnecessary, unproductive, unprofitable, useless, worthless). (various references)

Romanian

vanitos (conceited, self-glorious, vainglorious), van (abortive, flimsy, futile, idle, nugatory, useless, vainglorious), zadarnic (abortive, bootless, fruitless, futile, idle, ineffective, ineffectual, ineffectually, inexpedient, naught, nugatory, otiose, sinful, to no end, unavailing, unfruitful, unnecessary, useless), zadar (futile), steril (addle, arid, barren, fruitless, futile, infructuous, sterile, unfruitful, useless), orgolios (conceited, proud-spirited, self-important, vainglorious), inutil (addle, beside the purpose, bootless, effete, excrescent, fruitless, idle, nugatory, pathetic, pathetically, superfluous, unavailing, unfruitful, unnecessary, unprofitable, useless, uselessly, wasteful, worthless), iluzoriu (airy, apparent, deceitful, elusory, illusive, illusory), fãrã rost (aimless, beside the purpose, dud, foolish, to no end), deşert (bare, desert, desolate, empty, futile, unfounded, unoccupied, vacant, vacuum, vainglorious, void, waste, wilderness), înfumurat (arrogant, bumptious, haughty, jackanapes, opinioned, overweening, self sufficient, stuck up, uppish), încrezut (arrogant, assertive, bumptious, cocksure, cocky, conceited, high minded, jackanapes, opinioned, presuming, presumptuous, self confident, self-conceited, self-important, stuck up, supercilious, uppish). (various references)

Russian 

напрасный. (various references)

Scottish

faoin (foolish, silly, unwise, void), b� th (drown, quench, slake). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

uzaludan (bootless, futile, ineffective, needless, unavailing, unfruitful, use: no earthly use, wasted), tašt, sujetan (conceited), šmizla. (various references)

Spanish

vano (bay, bootless, coquettish, empty, idle, inane, pretty, span, unavailing, wasted), hueco (airy-fairy, alcove, cave, cavity, chimerical, concave, conceited, empty, fantastic, frivolous, gap, hole, hollow, of fantasy, pocket, recess, void, well). (various references)

Swedish

flärdfull (frivolous), fåfäng (conceited, fruitless, futile, idle, unavailing, useless). (various references)

Turkish

abes (abortive, absurd, fruitless, futile, meaningless, nonsense, nugatory, trivial, unfit, unreasonable, unsuitable, useless). (various references)

Turkmen 

юцhratparaz, nдhak (futile), howaяy (empty, void), baюagaя (busy). (various references)

Ukrainian

марний (bootless, feckless, frustrate, futile, idle, naught, needless, nugatory, of no effect, otiose, sleeveless, unavailable), пустий (addle, airy, bald, bare, barren, baseless, begging, chaffy, empty, frothy, otiose, sounding, vacant, vacuous, void, yeasty), пихатий (arrogant, assuming, bloated, cavalier, cockish, conceited, foppish, haughty, highfalutin, highfaluting, high-flown, high-hearted, hoity toity, inflated, magniloquent, mouthy, overweening, portentous, puffed up, ritzy, self-important, side, solemn). (various references)

Vietnamese 

vô hiệu (null, unhelpful), vô ích hão, tự đắc dương dương tự đắc vô ích, rỗng tuếch phù phiếm tự phụ, không hiệu quả khinh thị, không có kết quả (effect, nought), không ăn thua gì, hão huyền rỗng, bất kính (irreverent, irreverential). (various references)

Welsh

ofer (abandoned, dissipated, idle, prodical, waste), gwag (addle, blank, empty, vacant), coeglyd (sarcastic), coegfalch (foppish), coeg (blind, empty, one-eyed), adfant (emptiness, sad). (various references)

cassa, cassam, cassis, casso, cassum, cassus, futilis, inane, inanem, inania, inanibus, inanis, inaniter, irritus, leviculus, vana, vanae, vanam, vane, vani, vanis, vanissimi, vanissimum, vanum, vanus, ventosa. (various references)

idel. (various references)

vein. (various references)

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

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

Derivations

Words beginning with "vain": vainer, vainest, vainglories, vainglorious, vaingloriously, vaingloriousness, vaingloriousnesses, vainglory, vainly, vainness, vainnesses. (additional references)

Words ending with "vain": vervain. (additional references)

Words containing "vain": vervains. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Vain" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: avan, avib, avin, avine, avino, Avni, eain, ovian, vaa, vacinu, vaen, vagin, vahn, vai, vaib, vaid, vaif, vaig, vaim, vaina, vaind, vaine, vaino, vains, vaint, vainy, vaio, vais, vait, vakif, valine, vami, vani, Vania, vanid, vann, vanr, vao, varix, varn, vasin, vation, vatn, vau, vauna, vawn, Vaya, vaye, vayne, vayo, vean, vegin, vehn, veign, veik, veim, veina, veing, veinl, veint, velin, veni, veyn, viag, viana, viane, vians, viant, viany, viau, viaz, vicn, vih, Viiib, vij, vin, vini, vinn, vion, vlain, voan, voig, voij, voin, voip, voiu, voiz, Vpi, vrai, vuing, vvi, yain, Yvraine. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: vina.

-1 letter: ain, ani, van, via.

-2 letters: ai, an, in, na.

+1 letter: anvil, avian, avion, divan, invar, mavin, naevi, naive, nival, pavin, ravin, savin, viand, vinal, vinas, vinca.

+2 letters: alevin, alvine, anvils, avians, avidin, avions, caving, divans, flavin, having, invade, invars, laving, mavins, mayvin, naiver, naives, native, navaid, navies, paving, pavins, ravine, raving, ravins, savine, saving, savins, silvan, spavin, vagina, vahine, vainer, vainly, valine, vanish, vanity, veinal, venial, viands, vicuna, vimina, vinals, vincas, vineal, waving.