Vain
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 Acronym of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 1 To frustrate. dated, obsolete, rare, transitive
- 1 Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
"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.
"I will not hear thy vain excuse"
- 3 Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.
"vain toil a vain attempt"
- 4 Showy; ostentatious.
"Yet ſhall (my Lord) your juſt, your noble Rules / Fill half the land with imitating Fools: / VVho random dravvings from your ſheets ſhall take, / And of one beauty many blunders make; / Load ſome vain Church with old Theatric State, / Turn Arcs of Triumph to a Garden-gate, […]"
- 1 unproductive of success wordnet
- 2 characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"We knocked at the door for five minutes, but in vain."
Etymology
From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).
A conversion of the adjectival form of vain. The only use of this verb in English appears c. 1628 in the writings of Owen Felltham.
Related phrases
More for "vain"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.