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vain - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'vain' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Vain [ n.]
- Vanity; emptiness; -- now used only in the phrase in vain.
2 . Vain [ superl.]
- Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
- Destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain attempt.
- Proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason; conceited; puffed up; inflated.
- Showy; ostentatious.

Meaning of 'vain' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . vain [ s]
Meaning (1):
- characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Example in sentence:
  • a conceited fool;
  • an attitude of self-conceited arrogance;
  • an egotistical disregard of others;
  • growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary;
  • so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty;
  • vain about her clothes
Meaning (2):
- unproductive of success
Example in sentence:
  • a fruitless search;
  • a sleeveless errand;
  • a vain attempt;
  • futile years after her artistic peak

Nearby Words:

vail vailer vaimure vainglorious vainglory vainly vainness vair vairy vaishnava

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