vain

See also: väin and VAIN

English

Alternative forms

• wayn (obsolete)

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.
   • 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

     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.
   • 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
3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   vain toil;  a vain attempt

   • 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:

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

   • 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.
   • Template:RQ:Pope Burlington

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)
• Sanskrit: तुच्छ (sa) (tuccha)
• 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
• Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌺𐍃 (halks)
• Greek: μάταιος (el) (mátaios)

  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)
• Latin: vānus
• 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
• Swedish: fåfäng (sv)
• 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, Vina, 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

Alternative forms

• vaan (colloquial; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯n/, [ˈʋɑ̝i̯n]
• Rhymes: -ɑin
• Syllabification^(key): vain

Adverb

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   mikä vain, milloin vain (“whenever”)

   Synonym: tahansa

3. 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

• 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”)