vain

CEFRB2

/veɪn/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Too proud of your appearance or abilities.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Having no useful result or chance of success.

Examples

  • She searched in vain for her passport.

  • We knocked at the door for five minutes, but in vain.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /vein/
  • /ven/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

  2. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.

  3. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.

More examples

In context

  • All my haste was in vain.

  • vain toil a vain attempt

  • Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

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The extremely blank Hollywood actor always demanded perfect lighting for every photo.

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

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