in vain

English

Pronunciation

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Adverb

in vain (comparative more in vain, superlative most in vain)

1. (idiomatic) Without success or a result; ending in failure.
   • 1863 November 19, Abraham Lincoln, Dedicatory Remarks (Gettysburg Address)‎^[1], near Soldiers' National Cemetery, →LCCN, Bliss copy, page 2:

     […] that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain […]

   • 19th c., Friedrich Nietzsche

     On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain.

   • 1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 46:

     For some time Grannie tried in vain to comfort her.

   • 1960 March, J. P. Wilson, E. N. C. Haywood, “The route through the Peak: Derby to Manchester. Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 149:

     All these great plans were in vain, however, for in the cold dawn following the "Mania" years of 1845–46 the M.B.M. & M.J.R. project was truncated to an 11+¹⁄₂-mile line from Ambergate to Rowsley.

2. (idiomatic) In a disrespectful manner, without honoring the proper meaning; insincerely or without proper respect.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 20:7, column 2:

     Thou ſhalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine: […]

   • 1817, Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, published 2015, page 4:

     Methinks I see him even now in my mind's eye;— the firm and upright figure,— the step, quick and determined, — the eye, which shot so keen and so penetrating a glance,— the features on which care had already planted wrinkles, and hear his language, in which he never wasted word in vain, expressed in a voice which had sometimes an occasional harshness, far from the intention of the speaker.

   • 2013, Mandy Merck, The Sexual Subject: Screen Reader in Sexuality:

     A fetishist regime attempts to annul the separation of image and spectator, to reinstall an immediate relation that promises (in vain) to provide satisfaction to desire itself.

   • 2015, Kent Gramm, The Prayer of Jesus: A Reading of the Lord’s Prayer, page 69:

     This petition is the reverse side of the commandment against taking God's name in vain.

   • 2015, Jimmy R. Watson, Big Jesus: A Pastor’s Struggle with Christology, page 119:

     McLaren's task, it seems, is to set Jesus in a more appropriate and biblical context so that we won't use his name “in vain.”

   • 2016, Alexandre Dumas, translated by Frank J. Morlock, The Count of Monte Cristo, Part IV (play), page 247:

     That's fine. I know you won't engage your word in vain.

Synonyms

• vainly

Related terms

• Richard of York gave battle in vain
• take someone's name in vain

Translations

without success

• Arabic: عَبَثًا (ʕabaṯan), سُدًى (sudan).
• Armenian: զուր (hy) (zur), իզուր (hy) (izur)
• Belarusian: дарэ́мна (darémna), дарма́ (darmá), ма́рна (márna)
• Bulgarian: напра́зно (bg) (naprázno), всу́е (bg) (vsúe), напу́сто (bg) (napústo)
• Catalan: en va
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 徒然 (zh) (túrán), 白白 (zh) (báibái), 無益／无益 (zh) (wúyì), 徒勞／徒劳 (zh) (túláo)

• Chinook Jargon: k'ax̣chi
• Czech: neúspěšně
• Danish: forgæves
• Dutch: tevergeefs (nl), vergeefs (nl)
• Esperanto: sensolve, vane (eo)
• Finnish: turhaan (fi), tarpeettomasti (fi), tarpeetta
• French: en vain (fr), inutilement (fr)
• Galician: en balde, en van
• German: vergebens (de), vergeblich (de), umsonst (de)
• Greek: μάταια (el) (mátaia), του κάκου (el) (tou kákou), εις μάτην (el) (eis mátin), επί ματαίω (el) (epí mataío)

  Ancient: μάτην (mátēn), ἅλιον (hálion), μάψ (máps) (Epic)

• Hungarian: hiába (hu), hasztalan (hu), hasztalanul (hu)
• Icelandic: til einskis, árangurslaus (is), unnið fyrir gýg
• Ingrian: turhaa
• Italian: invano (it)
• Japanese: 無益の (ja) (むえきの, mueki no)
• Kazakh: бекер (beker)
• Korean: 헛되이 (heotdoei)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باداوە (ckb) (badawe)

• Latin: in cassum, futtile, frustrā (la), in vānum
• Malayalam: വൃഥാ (ml) (vr̥thā), വെറുതെ (ml) (veṟute)
• Manchu: ᠮᡝᡴᡝᠯᡝ (mekele)
• Maori: parau, paraurehe, huakore
• Navajo: chʼééh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forgjeves, fånyttes

  Nynorsk: forgjeves

• Old English: on īdel, hōlinga
• Plautdietsch: vejäfs
• Polish: daremnie (pl), na darmo (pl), na próżno (pl), bezskutecznie (pl)
• Portuguese: em vão (pt), inutilmente (pt), debalde (pt) (literary)
• Romanian: degeaba (ro), în zadar
• Russian: напра́сно (ru) (naprásno), зря (ru) (zrja), да́ром (ru) (dárom), тще́тно (ru) (tščétno), впусту́ю (ru) (vpustúju), всу́е (ru) (vsúje), зря (ru) (zrja), безуспе́шно (ru) (bezuspéšno), по́пусту (ru) (pópustu) (to no purpose)
• Serbo-Croatian: ȕzalūd (sh), ȕzalūdno
• Slovene: zamàn
• Spanish: en vano (es), en balde (es), inútilmente (es), de balde
• Swedish: förgäves (sv)
• Tagalog: lihing
• Turkish: boşuna (tr)
• Ukrainian: ма́рно (márno), даре́мно (darémno), дарма́ (darmá)
• Vietnamese: hoài (vi)

disrespectful manner

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 褻瀆地／亵渎地 (xièdú de)

• Finnish: turhaan (fi)
• French: à la légère (fr)
• Galician: en van
• German: eitel (de), lästerlich, missbräuchlich (de), respektlos (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐπὶ ματαίῳ (epì mataíōi)

• Hungarian: hiába (hu), tiszteletlenül, illetlenül
• Icelandic: í hégóma
• Italian: invano (it) m, alla leggera, disdicevolmente (it)
• Polish: nadaremno
• Portuguese: em vão (pt)
• Spanish: a la ligera
• Tagalog: sa walang kabuluhan

Adjective

in vain (comparative more in vain, superlative most in vain)

1. (idiomatic) Unsuccessful, failed.

   Their efforts were in vain and he succumbed to his injuries.

   • 2012, N.H. Pijls, Maximal Myocardial Perfusion as a Measure of the Functional Significance of Coronary Artery Disease‎^[2]:

     The problems concerning contrast induced hyperemia and the in vain efforts to search for a contrast agent not influencing flow […]

Translations

without success

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 徒勞的／徒劳的 (túláo de)

• Esperanto: sensolva, vana (eo)
• Finnish: turha (fi)
• Portuguese: em vão (pt)

References

• “in vain”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.