vain
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- proud, arrogant, conceited, egotistical, narcissistic, self-important, swaggering
- futile, abortive, fruitless, idle, pointless, senseless, unavailing, unprofitable, useless, worthless
[noun]
Synonyms:
- in vain: to no avail, fruitless(ly), ineffectual(ly), unsuccessful(ly), useless(ly), vain(ly)

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Contrasted words: useful, valuable, worthy, effective, effectual, efficacious, humble, meek, modest, bashful, diffident, retiring, shy
Related Idioms: stuck on oneself
Related Words: profitless, unprofitable, useless, valueless, void, worthless, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, bootless, fruitless, abortive, futile, paltry, petty, puny, trifling, trivial, delusive, delusory, misleading, arrogant, egocentric, egoistic, haughty, pensy, proud, self-important, swollen-headed, boastful, self-exalting, coxcombical, dandyish, foppish

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English Thesaurus: proud, pleased with yourself, arrogant, vain, conceited/big-headed, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

vain /veɪn/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin vanus 'empty, vain']

1. someone who is vain is too proud of their good looks, abilities, or position – used to show disapproval Synonym : conceited:
Men can be just as vain as women.

2. in vain
a) without success in spite of your efforts:
Police searched in vain for the missing gunman.
b) without purpose or without positive results:
Altman swore that his son’s death would not be in vain. ⇒ take sb’s name in vain at name¹(12)

3. a vain attempt, hope, or search fails to achieve the result you wanted
vain attempt/effort/bid
The young mother died in a vain attempt to save her drowning son.

4. vain threat/promise etc literary a threat, promise etc that is not worrying because the person cannot do what they say they will
—vainly adverb:
The instructor struggled vainly to open his parachute.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

vain

a vain attempt/bid/effort
People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of gunfire.
a vain hope
Young men moved south in the vain hope of finding work.
a vain search
Mothers have been to every shop in town in a vain search for the toy.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

vain
adjective
DUBIOUS: The police did their best to rescue the hostages but in vain.
BAD: The police did their best to rescue the hostages but without success.
DUBIOUS: She tried to get him to listen but in vain.
GOOD: She tried in vain to get him to listen.
GOOD: She tried to get him to listen but it was all in vain.
GOOD: She tried to get him to listen but to no avail.

Usage Note:
In vain usually comes after verbs such as try, search, hunt, look, wait, fight etc or after the verb be : 'Her voice was beginning to rise and she tried in vain to control it.' 'A team of surgeons battled in vain to save him.' 'I was never in any doubt that my efforts would be in vain.' In other situations, use without success or to no avail : 'They did everything they could to protect her, but (all) to no avail.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

proud very pleased with what you, your family, or your country have achieved, or of something you own:
I felt so proud when my son graduated from college.
Judith’s very proud of her new Ferrari.
pleased with yourself feeling pleased because something good has happened, especially because you think you have been very clever, skilful etc:
He was smoking a big cigar and was obviously pleased with himself.
I’d made a big profit and was feeling pretty pleased with myself.
arrogant disapproving behaving in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think you are better or know more than other people, and that your opinions are always right:
He was arrogant and regarded people who disagreed with him as fools.
his arrogant attitude to women
vain disapproving too proud of your appearance, in a way that annoys other people:
He’s so vain – he thinks all the girls fancy him.
conceited/big-headed disapproving proud of yourself because you think you are very intelligent, skilful, beautiful etc, especially without good reason and in a way that annoys people:
Stewart’s the most arrogant conceited person I’ve ever known.
She was offered a brilliant job and became incredibly big-headed overnight.
pompous disapproving thinking that you are much more important than you really are, and using very long and formal words to try to sound important:
The clerk was a pompous little man with glasses.
a pompous speech
smug disapproving pleased with yourself in a quiet but annoying way because you think you are in a better position than other people:
Milly was looking very smug about coming top of the class.
a smug expression
self-satisfied disapproving pleased with what you have achieved and showing it clearly in an annoying way:
She glared angrily into his self-satisfied face.
a self-satisfied grin

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

vain
veɪn
See: in vain , take one's name in vain

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲