vain
veɪn
Definition Synonyms

Definition of vain - Reverso English Dictionary

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Adjective

1.
self-admiringhaving an excessively high opinion of one's appearance or abilities
  • He was too vain to accept any criticism of his work..
conceited egotistical
2.
worthlesslacking real value or importance
  • His promises were vain and empty.
futile ineffectual worthless
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Expressions with vain

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speak insultingly about someone using their name
He took his teacher's name in vain during the argument.
stay expecting something that never happens or brings success
Fans wait in vain outside, but the band never appears.
to die without achieving anything meaningful
The soldiers did not want to die in vain.
without achieving the desired result
He tried to fix the car in vain.
use something without proper respect or purpose
She took his advice in vain and ignored it.
acting with little chance of success
He called her in the vain hope she would answer.

Origin of vain

Latin, vanus (empty)

Terms with vain included in their meaning

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in vain
without achieving any result
gender teasing
young man seen as effeminate and vain
behavior
vain or spoiled young woman
vanity
person who is vain or showy
in vain
without achieving a desired result
vain expectation
seek or expect something in vain
futile
vain or pointless lacking real importance
dudeyadj.
vain
showing excessive concern with dress or appearance

Examples of vain in a sentence

  • His vain attitude made him unpopular among his peers.
  • Their vain protests changed nothing.
  • The search proved vain after hours.

View all translations of vain

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:vaniteux, vain, ...
  2. German:eitel, wertlos, ...
  3. Italian:presuntuoso, vano, ...
  4. Spanish:vanidoso, inútil, ...
  5. Portuguese:presunçoso, vão, ...
  6. Chinese:自负的, 无价值的, ...
  7. Japanese:うぬぼれた, 無価値な, ...
  8. Arabic:مُعْجَب بِنَفْسِهِ, باطِل, ...
  9. Hebrew:יָהִיר, רֵיק, ...
  10. Russian:тщеславный, пустой, ...
  11. Ukrainian:марнославний, марний, ...
  12. Hindi:आत्ममुग्ध, निरर्थक, ...

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