vain

See also: väin and VAIN

English

Alternative forms

• wayn (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: vān, IPA^(key): /veɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Etymology 1

From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).

Adjective

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
   • 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N:

     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.
   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     I will not hear thy vain excuse

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ephesians 5:6:

     Let no man deceive you with vain words.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   vain toil    a vain attempt

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXX, page 48:

     At our old pastimes in the hall
     ⁠We gambol’d, making vain pretence
     ⁠Of gladness, with an awful sense
     Of one mute Shadow watching all.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.

4. Showy; ostentatious.
   • 1735, Alexander Pope, “Epistle 4”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume II, London: […] J. Wright, for Lawton Gilliver […], →OCLC, page 40, lines 25–30:

     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, […]

Synonyms

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

Derived terms

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

Related terms

• vanity

Translations

overly proud of one's appearance

• Armenian: սնապարծ (hy) (snaparc)
• Azerbaijani: şöhrətpərəst
• Bulgarian: суетен (bg) (sueten), тщеславен (bg) (tšteslaven)
• Catalan: vanitós (ca)
• Dutch: ijdel (nl)
• Finnish: turhamainen (fi)
• French: vaniteux.
• Galician: vaidoso m
• Georgian: ფუქსავატი (puksavaṭi), თავმომწონე (tavmomc̣one), პატივმოყვარე (ṗaṭivmoq̇vare)
• German: eitel (de)
• Greek: ματαιόδοξος (el) (mataiódoxos)
• Hebrew: גאוותן (ga'avtán)
• Hungarian: hiú (hu), öntelt (hu), önelégült (hu), beképzelt (hu)
• Irish: arduallach, mustrach, díomasach
• Italian: vanitoso (it), vanesio (it)
• Kabuverdianu: janóta, bazófu, bazofe, intxide
• Ladin: sabe
• Maori: whakapehapeha, whakahīhī
• Persian: ایفده (ifode)
• Polish: próżny (pl)
• Portuguese: vaidoso (pt) m, vão (pt)
• Russian: тщесла́вный (ru) (tščeslávnyj), показно́й (ru) (pokaznój)
• Scottish Gaelic: mòr às, sgòideasach, sgòideil, uaibhreach, uailleach
• Spanish: vanidoso (es)
• Swedish: fåfäng (sv)
• Ukrainian: марносла́вний m (marnoslávnyj)
• Welsh: balch (cy)

based on very little substance

• Armenian: դատարկ (hy) (datark)
• Azerbaijani: puç, boş (az), əbəs, nahaq (az), bihudə
• Bulgarian: празен (bg) (prazen), безсъдържателен (bg) (bezsǎdǎržatelen)
• Catalan: va (ca)
• Danish: overfladisk
• Finnish: turha (fi)
• French: frivole (fr)
• Georgian: ცარიელი (carieli), ამაო (amao), ფუჭი (puč̣i)
• Hungarian: alaptalan (hu), üres (hu)
• Norwegian: overfladisk (no)
• Portuguese: vazio (pt)
• Russian: пусто́й (ru) (pustój), беспло́дный (ru) (besplódnyj)
• Sanskrit: तुच्छ (sa) (tuccha)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin

pointless, futile

• Armenian: ունայն (hy) (unayn)
• Azerbaijani: nahaq (az), əbəs, boş (az), puç, bihudə
• Bulgarian: напразен (bg) (naprazen), безполезен (bg) (bezpolezen)
• Catalan: va (ca)
• Czech: marný (cs) m
• Danish: forgæves
• Dutch: nutteloos (nl), tevergeefs (nl)
• Finnish: turha (fi), tyhjä (fi), hyödytön (fi)
• French: vain (fr), futile (fr)
• Georgian: ამაო (amao), ფუჭი (puč̣i)
• German: unnützlich
• Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌺𐍃 (halks)
• Greek: μάταιος (el) (mátaios)

  Ancient: ἀποφώλιος (apophṓlios), μάταιος (mátaios), τηΰσιος (tēǘsios) ψαινύθιος (psainúthios)

• Hebrew: חסר תועלת (khasár to'élet)
• Hungarian: hiábavaló (hu), céltalan (hu), hiú (hu), felesleges (hu)
• Irish: in aisce, amú

  Old Irish: madae, madach

• Italian: vano (it)
• Latin: vānus, cassus
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forgjeves

  Nynorsk: forgjeves

• Portuguese: vão (pt)
• Russian: тще́тный (ru) (tščétnyj), напра́сный (ru) (naprásnyj), су́етный (ru) (sújetnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: faoin
• Spanish: vano (es), vacuo (es)
• Swedish: fåfäng (sv)
• Welsh: gwag (cy), ofer (cy)

Etymology 2

A converstion of the adjectival form of vain. The only use of this verb in English appears c. 1628 in the writings of Owen Felltham.

Verb

vain (third-person singular simple present vains, present participle vaining, simple past and past participle vained)

1. (transitive, rare, dated, obsolete) To frustrate. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Further reading

• “vain”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “vain”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “vain”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Vian, Vina, Viña, ivan, vina

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• ven

Etymology

From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /βeŋ/

Noun

vain m

1. wine

Finnish

Alternative forms

• vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Etymology

Probably an old instructive plural of the stem vaja- (*vajin). Cognate with Estonian vaid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯n/, [ˈʋɑ̝i̯n]
• Rhymes: -ɑin
• Syllabification^(key): vain

Adverb

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just

   Olen vain ihminen.

   I am just/only a human.

   Paita maksoi vain kaksi euroa.

   The shirt cost just/only two euros.

2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   Synonym: tahansa

   mikä vain ― whatever

   milloin vain ― whenever

3. An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.

   Kävit siellä, etkö vain?

   You went there, didn't you?

   Tämä on se, eikö vain?

   This is it, right?

4. (with a verb in imperative) go ahead, be my guest (in positive); definitely (in negative)

   Synonyms: sen kuin, sen kun, ihmeessä

   "Saanko syödä viimeisen suklaapalan?" "Syö vain."

   "May I eat the last piece of chocolate?" "Go ahead (and eat it)."

   Älä vain oleta minun syöneen viimeistä kakkupalaa.

   Definitely don't assume I ate the last slice of cake.

Derived terms

• kuka vain
• mikä vain

Further reading

• “vain”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

Anagrams

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French vain, from Latin vānus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛ̃/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophones: vainc, vaincs, vains, vin, vingt, vingts, vins, vint, vînt

Adjective

vain (feminine vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless

   Synonyms: see inutile

2. vain, shallow

   Synonym: frivole

Derived terms

• en vain

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Norman

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)