vain
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”)
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Pronunciation
Adjective
vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)
- 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.
- (Can we date this quote by Leo Rosten and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
- 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]:
- I will not hear thy vain excuse
- Bible, Ephesians v. 6
- Let no man deceive you with vain words.
- Template:RQ:Milton PL
- 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.
- Showy; ostentatious.
Synonyms
- (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
- (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
- See also Thesaurus:arrogant
- See also Thesaurus:futile
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
overly proud of one's appearance
|
based on very little substance
|
pointless, futile
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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
Dalmatian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.
Pronunciation
Noun
vain m
Finnish
Alternative forms
- vaan (colloquial; also has other non-colloqial meanings)
Etymology
Cognate with vaan, Estonian vaid. Probably from va + -in or earlier equivalent.
Pronunciation
Adverb
vain
- only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
- ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)
- mikä vain, milloin vain (“whenever”)
- Synonym: tahansa
- An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.
- Kävit siellä, etkö vain?
- You went there, didn't you?
- Tämä on se, eikö vain?
- This is it, right?
Derived terms
Anagrams
French
Etymology
From Old French vain, from Latin vānus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
vain (feminine vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)
Synonyms
Related terms
Further reading
- “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman
Etymology
From Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).
Adjective
vain m
Derived terms
- vainement (“vainly”)
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms borrowed from Old French
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms with homophones
- Rhymes:English/eɪn
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- Requests for date/Leo Rosten
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with usage examples
- Requests for date/John Dryden
- Requests for date/William of Occam
- Dalmatian terms inherited from Latin
- Dalmatian terms derived from Latin
- Dalmatian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dalmatian lemmas
- Dalmatian nouns
- Dalmatian masculine nouns
- dlm:Grapevines
- dlm:Wine
- Finnish terms suffixed with -in
- Finnish 1-syllable words
- Finnish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Finnish/ɑin
- Rhymes:Finnish/ɑin/1 syllable
- Finnish lemmas
- Finnish adverbs
- Finnish terms with usage examples
- French terms inherited from Old French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms inherited from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- French terms with audio links
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French adjectives
- Norman terms inherited from Old French
- Norman terms derived from Old French
- Norman terms inherited from Latin
- Norman terms derived from Latin
- Norman lemmas
- Norman adjectives
- Jersey Norman