- that does not produce the result you want synonym useless
- She closed her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to hold back the tears.
- I knocked loudly in the vain hope that someone might answer.
- The government spent billions in a vain bid to prop up the currency.
Homophones vain | veinvain veinTopics Difficulty and failurec2/veɪn//veɪn/- vain adjective
- He plunged into the icy water in a vain effort to rescue his dog.
- vein noun
- A vein in her head throbbed when she was angry.
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- (disapproving) too proud of your own appearance, abilities or achievements synonym conceited
- She's too vain to wear glasses.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1- Their flattery made him vain.
- very vain about his looks
- He's so vain!
- I don't think it's vain to care about how you look.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘without real worth’): via Old French from Latin vanus ‘empty, without substance’.
Idioms
See vain in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryin vain
- without success
- They tried in vain to persuade her to go.
- She waited in vain for her son to return.
- All our efforts were in vain.
take somebody’s name in vain
- to show a lack of respect when using somebody’s name or when talking about them
- (humorous) Have you been taking my name in vain again?
- to take the Lord's name in vain
Check pronunciation:
vain