vain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)
From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).
vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)
- 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.
- 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N:
- 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 - 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.
- 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]:
- 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. - 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
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.
- 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:
- 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, […]
- 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:
- (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
- (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
- See also Thesaurus:arrogant
- See also Thesaurus:futile
- in vain
- vainness
- vainly
- vanity
overly proud of one's appearance
- Armenian: սնապարծ (hy) (snaparc)
- Azerbaijani: şöhrətpərəst
- Bulgarian: суетен (bg) (sueten), тщеславен (bg) (tšteslaven)
- Catalan: vanitós (ca)
- Danish: forfængelig
- Dutch: ijdel (nl)
- Finnish: turhamainen (fi)
- French: vaniteux.
- Galician: vaidoso (gl) 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)
- Ido: vanitatoza (io)
- 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)
- Hindi: तुच्छ (hi) (tucch)
- 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)
- Esperanto: vana (eo)
- 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)
- Hindi: व्यर्थ (hi) (vyarth)
- 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)
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.
vain (third-person singular simple present vains, present participle vaining, simple past and past participle vained)
- (transitive, rare, dated, obsolete) To frustrate. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
- “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.
- Vani, Viña, Vina, Vian, 'avin', Ivan, Na'vi, ivan, vani, vina
- ven
From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.
vain m
- vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)
Probably an old instructive plural of the stem vaja- (*vajin). Cognate with Estonian vaid.
vain
- 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. - ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)
Synonym: tahansa
mikä vain ― whatever
milloin vain ― whenever - 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? - (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.
- kuka vain
- mikä vain
- “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
- inva-, ivan, niva, vian
Inherited from Old French vain, from Latin vānus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).
vain (feminine vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)
- en vain
- vanité
- vaniteux
- “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
From Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).
vain m
- vainement (“vainly”)