vain
/vein/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Unsuccessful or futile: Describing an action, effort, or hope that does not produce the desired result or is pointless.
- Excessively proud of one's appearance, abilities, or achievements: Having an overly high opinion of oneself; conceited.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective (Unsuccessful):
- She made a vain attempt to convince him.
- All their efforts to save the business were vain.
- Adjective (Conceited):
- He is so vain that he spends hours looking in the mirror.
- She was vain about her academic achievements.
Advanced Usage
- "in vain": Without success or to no purpose.
- They searched in vain for the missing keys.
- He died in vain if we do not learn from his sacrifice.
- "take someone's name in vain": To use someone's name, especially that of a deity, in a disrespectful, profane, or irreverent way.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Variants and Related Words
- Vainly (adverb): In a vain manner.
- He vainly tried to fix the broken machine.
- Vainness (noun): The quality or state of being vain (in either sense).
Synonyms
- Futile: Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.
- Conceited: Excessively proud of oneself; vain.
Related Phrases
- As vain as a peacock: Extremely proud or conceited about one's appearance.
- Ever since he won the award, he's been as vain as a peacock.
Adjective
- unproductive of success
- a fruitless search
- futile years after her artistic peak
- a sleeveless errand
- a vain attempt
- 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