vain

See also: väin and VAIN

English

Etymology

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

(deprecated template usage)

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 by Leo Rosten and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     thy vain excuse

   • Bible, Ephesians v. 6

     Let no man deceive you with vain words.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   vain toil;  a vain attempt

   • (Can we date this quote by John Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

   • (Can we date this quote by William of Occam and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 (ca)
• Dutch: ijdel (nl)
• Finnish: turhamainen (fi)
• French: vaniteux.
• Galician: vaidoso m
• Georgian: ფუქსავატი (puksavaṭi), თავმომწონე (tavmomc̣one), პატივმოყვარე (ṗaṭivmoq̇vare)
• German: eitel (de)
• Greek: ματαιόδοξος (el) (mataiódoxos)
• Hebrew: גאוותן (ga'avtán)
• Hungarian: hiú (hu), öntelt (hu), önelégült (hu), beképzelt (hu)
• Irish: arduallach
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• Ukrainian: марносла́вний m (marnoslávnyj)
• Welsh: balch (cy)

based on very little substance

• Armenian: դատարկ (hy) (datark)
• Catalan: va (ca)
• Danish: overfladisk
• Finnish: turha (fi)
• French: frivole (fr)
• Georgian: ცარიელი (carieli), ამაო (amao), ფუჭი (puč̣i)
• Hungarian: alaptalan (hu), üres (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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
• Danish: forgæves
• Dutch: nutteloos (nl), tevergeefs (nl)
• Finnish: turha (fi), tyhjä (fi), hyödytön (fi)
• French: vain (fr), futile (fr)
• Georgian: ამაო (amao), ფუჭი (puč̣i)
• German: unnützlich
• Greek:

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

• Hebrew: חסר תועלת (khasár to'élet)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “vain”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• audio:

  (file)

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

Adjective

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

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

Synonyms

• inutile

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Norman

Etymology

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

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)