Synonyms for vain
veɪnvain

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. vainadjective

   overly proud of oneself, especially when concerning appearance

   Synonyms:
   fruitless, futile, pointless, ineffectual

2. vainadjective

   having very little substance

   Synonyms:
   ineffectual, pointless, fruitless, futile

3. vainadjective

   effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   Synonyms:
   fruitless, ineffectual, futile, pointless

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. vain

   Vain (Latin vanus, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all changes of meaning; a vain endeavor is empty of result, or of adequate power to produce a result, a vain pretension is empty or destitute of support, a vain person has a conceit that is empty or destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is bootless, fruitless, or profitless fails to accomplish any valuable result; that which is abortive, ineffectual, or unavailing fails to accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to accomplish. That which is useless, futile, or vain is inherently incapable of accomplishing a specified result. Useless, in the widest sense, signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus closely similar to valueless and worthless. Fruitless is more final than ineffectual, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor. That which is useless lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which is vain lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.

   Compare synonyms for UTILITY.

   Synonyms:
   abortive, baseless, bootless, deceitful, delusive, empty, fruitless, futile, idle, inconstant, ineffectual, nugatory, null, profitless, shadowy, trifling, trivial, unavailing, unimportant, unprofitable, unreal, unsatisfying, unserviceable, unsubstantial, useless, vapid, visionary, worthless

   Antonyms:
   adequate, advantageous, beneficial, competent, effective, efficient, expedient, potent, powerful, profitable, real, serviceable, solid, sound, substantial, sufficient, useful, valid, valuable, worthy

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. vain

   Synonyms:
   empty, worthless, fruitless, unsatisfying, unavailing, idle, ineffectual, egotistic, showy, unreal, conceited, arrogant

   Antonyms:
   solid, substantial, sound, worthy, efficient, effectual, cogent, potent, unconceited, modest, real

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. conceited, egotistic, egotistical, self-conceited, swollen, swollen-headed, vainadjective

   characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

   "a conceited fool"; "an attitude of self-conceited arrogance"; "an egotistical disregard of others"; "so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty"; "growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary"; "vain about her clothes"

   Synonyms:
   bootless, narcissistic, fruitless, swollen, self-loving, egotistic, swollen-headed, conceited, futile, sleeveless, egotistical, self-conceited

   Antonyms:
   humble, productive

2. bootless, fruitless, futile, sleeveless, vainadjective

   unproductive of success

   "a fruitless search"; "futile years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain attempt"

   Synonyms:
   unavailing, otiose, self-conceited, fruitless, egotistic, conceited, swollen-headed, futile, swollen, bootless, ineffectual, egotistical, sleeveless

   Antonyms:
   productive, humble

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   unreal, shadowy, unsubstantial, supposititious, dreamy, baseless, imaginary, empty, void

2. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   unavailing, useless, bootless, ineffectual, fruitless, profitless, futile, nugatory, abortive, unprofitable, without avail, idle, to no purpose, to no end

3. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   worthless, unsatisfying, unsatisfactory, vapid, tasteless, insipid, flat, stale, mawkish

4. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   conceited, vain-glorious, inflated, overweening, ostentatious, high, self-sufficient, flushed, opinionated, self-satisfied, self-confident, self-admiring, self-opinioned, self-flattering, high-flown, puffed up, wise in one's own conceit

5. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   boastful, vaunting

6. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   rodomontade, empty boasting

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   conceited, arrogant, egotistical, overweening, vainglorious, nugatory, fruitless, ineffectual, frustrate, unavailing, bootless, futile, abortive, ineffective, empty, delusive, chimerical, unsatisfying, unsubstantial, deceitful

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "vain":

   futile, conceited, fruitless, pointless, useless, unsuccessful, only, marl, unnecessary

Concise Medical Dictionary, by Joseph C Segen, MDRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. VAIN

   Synonyms:
   Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia

2. VAIN

   Synonyms:
   Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia

Suggested Resources

1. vain

   Song lyrics by vain -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by vain on the Lyrics.com website.

2. VAIN

   What does VAIN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the VAIN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce vain?

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use vain in a sentence?

1. Raniero Cantalamessa:

   Let us not allow so much pain, so many deaths, and so much heroic engagement on the part of health workers to have been in vain. Returning to the way things were is the 'recession' we should fear the most.

2. Chief Paul Berardi:

   It's difficult when you live with somebody for 24-hours a day, and you're laughing and joking one minute and then something like this happens in the line of duty, what's good for their families to remember is that they did not die in vain.

3. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.:

   With all humility, I think, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbor as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing, you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbor: you must be living in your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing.

4. Trevor Noah:

   And by the way: There’s no shame in having dentures… but there is shame in Donald Trump having dentures, because he’s vain as hell, can you imagine how he would feel if people started tweeting #DentureDonald? Don’t do it! I’m just saying, can you imagine how he’d feel? But don’t do it, guys. He’sverysensitive, OK.

5. Josh Graham:

   My husband's sacrificecould’ve been avoided if these measures were available, we want my beloved husband's act of heroism to not be in vain.