vain

See also: väin

Contents

English

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”)

Pronunciation

• enPR: vān, IPA^(key): /veɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Adjective

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Leo Rosten

     Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.

2. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     thy vain excuse

   • Bible, Ephesians v. 6

     Let no man deceive you with vain words.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   vain toil;  a vain attempt

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Dryden

     Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William of Occam

     It is vain to do with more what can be done with fewer.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     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.

4. Showy; ostentatious.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope

     Load some vain church with old theatric state.

Synonyms

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

Derived terms

• in vain
• vainness
• vainly

Related terms

• vanity

Translations

overly proud of one's appearance

• Armenian: սնապարծ (hy) (snaparc)
• Catalan: vanitós
• Dutch: ijdel (nl)
• Finnish: turhamainen (fi)
• French: vaniteux.
• Galician: vaidoso m
• German: eitel (de)
• Greek: ματαιόδοξος (el) (mataiódoxos)
• Hebrew: גאוותן‎ (ga'avtán)
• Hungarian: hiú (hu), öntelt (hu), önelégült (hu), beképzelt (hu)
• Irish: arduallach
• Italian: vanitoso (it), vanesio (it)

• Kabuverdianu: janóta
• Maori: whakapehapeha, whakahīhī
• Persian: ایفده‎ (ifode)
• Polish: próżny (pl)
• Portuguese: vaidoso (pt) m, vão (pt)
• Russian: тщесла́вный (ru) (tščeslávnyj), показно́й (ru) (pokaznój)
• Scottish Gaelic: mòr às, sgòideasach, sgòideil, uaibhreach, uailleach
• Spanish: vanidoso (es)
• Swedish: fåfäng (sv)
• Welsh: balch (cy)

based on very little substance

• Armenian: դատարկ (hy) (datark)
• Catalan: va (ca)
• Finnish: turha (fi)
• French: frivole (fr)
• Hungarian: alaptalan (hu), üres (hu)

• Norwegian: overfladisk (no)
• Portuguese: vazio (pt)
• Russian: пусто́й (ru) (pustój), беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin

pointless, futile

• Armenian: ունայն (hy) (unayn)
• Catalan: va (ca)
• Czech: marný (cs) m
• Dutch: nutteloos (nl), tevergeefs (nl)
• Finnish: turha (fi), tyhjä (fi)
• French: vain (fr), futile (fr)
• Georgian: ამაო (amao)
• German: unnützlich
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀποφώλιος (apophṓlios), μάταιος (mátaios), ψαινύθιος (psainúthios)

• Hebrew: חסר תועלת‎ (khasár to'élet)

• Hungarian: hiábavaló (hu), céltalan (hu), hiú (hu), felesleges (hu)
• Irish: in aisce, amú
• Italian: vano (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forgjeves

  Nynorsk: forgjeves

• Portuguese: vão (pt)
• Russian: тще́тный (ru) (tščétnyj), напра́сный (ru) (naprásnyj), су́етный (ru) (sújetnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin
• Spanish: vano (es) m, vacuo (es) m
• Welsh: gwag (cy), ofer (cy)

Further reading

• vain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• vain in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Viña, vina

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Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• ven

Etymology

From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /βeŋ/

Noun

vain m

1. wine

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Finnish

Etymology

Cognate with vaan, Estonian vaid. Probably from va +‎ -in or earlier equivalent.

Adverb

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
2. ever, in the phrasal adjective mikä vain
3. whenever, in the phrasal adjective milloin vain

Synonyms

• vaan (colloquial)
• (only): ainoastaan
• (ever): tahansa

Derived terms

• mikä vain

Anagrams

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

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French

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin vānus.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /vɛ̃/
• Homophones: vin, vingt, vins, vint

Adjective

vain (feminine singular vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless
2. vain, shallow

Synonyms

• inutile

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Norman

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)