vain

Formsvains, vaining, vained

1. 1
   too proudadjective

   Too proud of oneself, especially of one's looks, and thinking highly of one's own achievements with little reason.

   He was too vain to wear his glasses, so he squinted at the menu all evening.

   He's so vain that he checks his reflection in every shop window he walks past on the way to work.

   UsageOften too vain to + verb: too vain to wear glasses. Sounds the same as vein and vane.

   Similarconceited, arrogant, egotistical, cocky, boastful

   Oppositemodest, humble, unassuming, self-effacing

   Note

   Vanity looks outward, at how one appears to others, and that is what separates it from mere self-absorption. Leo Rosten draws the line neatly: every writer is a narcissist, which "does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Leo Rosten wrote that every writer is a narcissist, meaning hopelessly self-absorbed rather than necessarily vain; the quoted wording is accurate. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   failedadjective

   Failing to accomplish any purpose, and so pointless.

   Firefighters made a vain attempt to save the old mill before the roof collapsed.

   After hours of vain searching, they gave up on finding the ring in the sand.

   Similarfutile, pointless, useless, fruitless, ineffectual

   Oppositesuccessful, fruitful, effective

   Note

   Here the word passes judgment on an effort rather than a person, and it usually stands before a noun of trying: a vain attempt, vain toil, vain searching, a few moments' vain remonstrance. Unlike the conceited meaning, it carries no blame; the effort fails, but nobody is accused of pride.

3. 3
   emptyadjective

   Lacking real substance, value, or importance, and so empty and unsatisfying.

   The campaign was full of vain promises that no one expected to be kept.

   He chased fame and money, only to find them vain and hollow in the end.

   UsageSounds solemn; empty or hollow is the everyday word: empty promises.

   Similarfutile, insignificant, idle, inconsequential, frivolous

   Oppositemeaningful, worthwhile

   Note

   The meaning nearest the word's root, Latin vānus, "empty": vain words and vain excuses have nothing inside them. It carries a scriptural and poetic weight from the King James Bible of 1611 ("Let no man deceive you with vain words") and from Milton's "Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Vain derives ultimately from Latin vānus, meaning "empty"; the sense of lacking substance closely matches that meaning. en.wiktionary.org
   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. bridwell.omeka.net
   • The quoted words occur in the King James Bible, Ephesians 5:6. en.wikisource.org
   • Milton wrote the quoted line in Paradise Lost, Book II; the item modernizes the spelling. gutenberg.org

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