vain en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /vein/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
- /veɪn/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ven/ (Scotland)
- vān
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).
Meanings
-
Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.
1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N:
-
Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Let no man deceive you with vain words.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ephesians 5:6:I will not hear thy vain excuse
c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
-
Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.
Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:vain toil a vain attempt
At our old pastimes in the hall We gambol’d, making vain pretence Of gladness, with an awful sense Of one mute Shadow watching all.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 48:
-
Showy; ostentatious.
Yet ſhall (my Lord) your juſt, your noble Rules / Fill half the land with imitating Fools: / VVho random dravvings from your ſheets ſhall take, / And of one beauty many blunders make; / Load ſome vain Church with old Theatric State, / Turn Arcs of Triumph to a Garden-gate, […]
1735, Alexander Pope, “Epistle 4”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume II, London: […] J. Wright, for Lawton Gilliver […], →OCLC, page 40, lines 25–30:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| vainer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| wayn | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| most vain | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more vain | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| vainest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
vainness · vainful · unvain · take someone's name in vain · Richard of York gave battle in vain · vainly · in vain
Hypernyms
coxcombical · self-absorbed · proud
Relateds
superficial · beauty · arrogance · shallow · one-dimensional · vanity
Synonyms
inutile · unweighty · two-bit · miserable · profitless · idle · not worth a cress · toploftical · putid · tired · not worth a curse · obtrusive · jabberwocky · authoritarian · vain · no-account · pizazzy · hubristic · trinkety · not worth a cent · loud · wutless · gross · nonvaluable · shitty-ass · idle · blatant · toplofty · cocky · hideous · worthless · tinselly · pointless · holier-than-thou · unutilizable · good-for-naught · ticky-tacky · cullionly · mouldy · nothingburger · gay · flashy · dry · rubbishly · picayune · vain · highfalutin · vain · not worth a farthing · conceited · shitey · cacky · strawlike · worth nothing · not worth salt · meager · whorish · naff · airy · naughty · kitsch · ignorable · pompous · fucking · sorry-ass · sterile · uppish · drecky · unuseful · self-important · simple · floccinaucinihilipilificatious · of no value · pissant · crude · narcissistic · good-for-nothing · grandiose · nought · void · insolent · shitstained · fruitless · buggish · blingish · pissass · inefficacious · paltry · suckworthy · ineffectual · chintzy · not worth a Continental · invaluable · overweening · egotistical · brash · two-bit · flaunting · gauche · chichi · insignificant · immaterial · uppy · useless · cruddy · vain · tripy · unavailing · shit · cocking · indifferent · imperious · pissass · mucid · flatulent · picayunish · bedizened · turgescent · hankty · froufrou · haught · orgulous · presumptuous · bastardly · nondescript · gainless · inflated · glorious · disdainful · hubristical · triobolar · high-handed · raffish · snazzy · draffish · puffed up · piteous · ineffectual · pizazzy · florid · meretricious · haut · supercilious · goodless · for the birds · thrasonic · snotty · wretched · slight · sixpenny · worthless · stout · foolish · valueless · trivial · catchpenny · tacky · valueless · floccinaucinihilipilificatious · conceited · la-di-da · big-headed · flaunting · domineering · piddling · high-hat · campy · not worth a plug nickel · draffy · pretentious · self-adoring · turgid · unappreciated · minor · ineffectual · zesty · boastful · futile · bootless · garish · hoity-toity · haughty · glaring · chesty · brash · no good · self-obsessed · screwy · garbagey · not worth a brass farthing · not worth a damn · overbearing · junky · self-admiring · barren · puffed up · rubbishy · for the birds · thrasonical · fruitless · punk · upstage · inconsequential · base · pointless · tasteless · otiose · showy · petty · not worth a nickel · tawdry · crapalicious · frivolous · vain · dreckish · ostentatious · toshy · inflated · kitschy · sanctimonious · silly · pointless · idle · too much · vainglorious · gaudy · null · scummy · full of oneself · crass · unvaluable · pretentious · tin-pot · trinkety · conceited · negligible · not worth a penny · blustery · vain · not worth a dime · flossy · uppity · biggity · bombastic · mean · ritzy · contemptible · futile · no good / no-good · inconsiderable · not worth hell room · scabbed · unbecoming · arrogant · purposeless · chaffy · untasteful · futile · piddly · flatulent · tenth-rate · pitiful · snobbish · splendiferous · entitled · trifling · stuck up · duffing · gussied up · priggish · tumid · shand · unprofitable · high and mighty · snooty · ostentatious · unimportant · blown · pimped out · lordly · like a fart in a windstorm · schlocky · not worth a whistle · corny
Translations (136)
cy gwag (pointless, futile) · az boş (based on very little substance) · az puç (pointless, futile) · sga madach (pointless, futile) · kea bazófu (overly proud of one's appearance) · fa ایفده (overly proud of one's appearance) · got 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌺𐍃 (pointless, futile) · nl tevergeefs (pointless, futile) · ru напра́сный (pointless, futile) · eo vana (pointless, futile) · ka ამაო (based on very little substance) · cmn 白白 (pointless, futile) · pt vaidoso (overly proud of one's appearance) · kix yâng (pointless, futile) · az əbəs (pointless, futile) · hu öntelt (overly proud of one's appearance) · hi व्यर्थ (pointless, futile) · bg празен (based on very little substance) · mhr арам (pointless, futile) · da overfladisk (based on very little substance) · mi whakahīhī (overly proud of one's appearance) · pt vão (pointless, futile) · sa तुच्छ (based on very little substance) · da forfængelig (overly proud of one's appearance) · uk марносла́вний (overly proud of one's appearance) · sv fåfäng (pointless, futile) · hu alaptalan (based on very little substance) · az puç (based on very little substance) · hy դատարկ (based on very little substance) · de unnütz (pointless, futile) · hu hiú (pointless, futile) · az nahaq (based on very little substance) · ga mustrach (overly proud of one's appearance) · gd faoin (based on very little substance) · cmn 徒勞 /徒劳 (pointless, futile) · kea intxide (overly proud of one's appearance) · fr futile (pointless, futile) · nl ijdel (overly proud of one's appearance) · de vergeblich (pointless, futile) · ru показно́й (overly proud of one's appearance) · bg напразен (pointless, futile) · gd uailleach (overly proud of one's appearance) · ga arduallach (overly proud of one's appearance) · nn fåfengd (pointless, futile) · hu önelégült (overly proud of one's appearance) · it vano (pointless, futile) · eo vanta (overly proud of one's appearance) · ru тще́тный (pointless, futile) · fr vaniteux (overly proud of one's appearance) · pt vazio (based on very little substance) · eo vanta (based on very little substance) · ka ამაო (pointless, futile) · ka ფუჭი (pointless, futile) · az bihudə (pointless, futile) · he חסר תועלת (pointless, futile) · ka ცარიელი (based on very little substance) · cs marný (pointless, futile) · fi hyödytön (pointless, futile) · fi tyhjä (pointless, futile) · da forgæves (pointless, futile) · sv fåfäng (overly proud of one's appearance) · hy ունայն (pointless, futile) · bg безполезен (pointless, futile) · es vano (pointless, futile) · es vacuo (pointless, futile) · nl nutteloos (pointless, futile) · hu beképzelt (overly proud of one's appearance) · ga díomasach (overly proud of one's appearance) · gd sgòideasach (overly proud of one's appearance) · hu felesleges (pointless, futile) · pl próżny (overly proud of one's appearance) · it vanitoso (overly proud of one's appearance) · grc ἀποφώλιος (pointless, futile) · hu üres (based on very little substance) · de eitel (overly proud of one's appearance) · ga in aisce (pointless, futile) · nn forfengeleg (overly proud of one's appearance) · ru тщесла́вный (overly proud of one's appearance) · fi turha (pointless, futile) · cmn 虛榮 /虚荣 (overly proud of one's appearance) · nn jålete (overly proud of one's appearance) · ga amú (pointless, futile) · cy balch (overly proud of one's appearance) · gd mòr às (overly proud of one's appearance) · az nahaq (pointless, futile) · el μάταιος (pointless, futile) · cmn 徒然 (pointless, futile) · ru беспло́дный (based on very little substance) · it vanesio (overly proud of one's appearance) · la cassus (pointless, futile) · ca vanitós (overly proud of one's appearance) · ka თავმომწონე (overly proud of one's appearance) · lld sabe (overly proud of one's appearance) · es vanidoso (overly proud of one's appearance) · gd faoin (pointless, futile) · az şöhrətpərəst (overly proud of one's appearance) · pt vão (overly proud of one's appearance) · ca va (based on very little substance) · kea janóta (overly proud of one's appearance) · mi whakapehapeha (overly proud of one's appearance) · sga madae (pointless, futile) · no overfladisk (based on very little substance) · ka ფუჭი (based on very little substance) · az əbəs (based on very little substance) · ka პატივმოყვარე (overly proud of one's appearance) · bg безсъдържателен (based on very little substance) · az bihudə (based on very little substance) · nb forgjeves (pointless, futile) · nn forgjeves (pointless, futile) · gl vaidoso (overly proud of one's appearance) · kea bazofe (overly proud of one's appearance) · grc τηΰσιος ψαινύθιος (pointless, futile) · hi तुच्छ (based on very little substance) · io vanitatoza (overly proud of one's appearance) · bg суетен (overly proud of one's appearance) · fi turha (based on very little substance) · cy ofer (pointless, futile) · hu hiú (overly proud of one's appearance) · bg тщеславен (overly proud of one's appearance) · hu céltalan (pointless, futile) · ru пусто́й (based on very little substance) · gd sgòideil (overly proud of one's appearance) · gd uaibhreach (overly proud of one's appearance) · fr frivole (based on very little substance) · ru су́етный (pointless, futile) · el ματαιόδοξος (overly proud of one's appearance) · fi turhamainen (overly proud of one's appearance) · hy սնապարծ (overly proud of one's appearance) · fr vain (pointless, futile) · la vānus (pointless, futile) · ka ფუქსავატი (overly proud of one's appearance) · az boş (pointless, futile) · grc μάταιος (pointless, futile) · ca va (pointless, futile) · he גאוותן (overly proud of one's appearance) · hu hiábavaló (pointless, futile)