vain

See also: väin and VAIN

English

Alternative forms

• wayn (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: vān, IPA^(key): /veɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Adjective

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. 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.

2. 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

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ephesians 5:6:

     Let no man deceive you with vain words.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

3. 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.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     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.

4. Showy; ostentatious.
   • 1735, Alexander Pope, “Epistle IV. To Richard Earl of Burlington.”, 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, […]

Synonyms

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

Derived terms

• in vain
• vainness
• vainly

Related terms

• vanity

Translations

overly proud of one's appearance

• Armenian: սնապարծ (hy) (snaparc)
• Azerbaijani: şöhrətpərəst
• Bulgarian: суетен (bg) (sueten), тщеславен (bg) (tšteslaven)
• Catalan: vanitós (ca)
• Dutch: ijdel (nl)
• Finnish: turhamainen (fi)
• French: vaniteux.
• Galician: vaidoso 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)

Further reading

• “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.

Anagrams

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Vian, Vina, Viña, ivan, vina

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• ven

Etymology

From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /βeŋ/

Noun

vain m

1. wine

Finnish

Alternative forms

• vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Etymology

Probably an old instructive plural of the stem vaja- (*vajin). Cognate with Estonian vaid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯n/, [ˈʋɑ̝i̯n]
• Rhymes: -ɑin
• Syllabification^(key): vain

Adverb

vain

1. 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.

2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   Synonym: tahansa

   mikä vain ― whatever

   milloin vain ― whenever

3. 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?

4. (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.

Derived terms

• kuka vain
• mikä vain

Further reading

• "vain" in Kielitoimiston sanakirja (Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish).

Anagrams

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French vain, from Latin vānus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛ̃/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophones: vainc, vaincs, vains, vin, vingt, vingts, vins, vint, vînt

Adjective

vain (feminine vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless
2. vain, shallow

Synonyms

• inutile

Derived terms

• en vain

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Norman

Etymology

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

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)