Synonyms for vain
veɪnvain

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. vainadjective

   overly proud of oneself, especially when concerning appearance

   Synonyms:
   fruitless, futile, pointless, ineffectual

2. vainadjective

   having very little substance

   Synonyms:
   ineffectual, pointless, fruitless, futile

3. vainadjective

   effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   Synonyms:
   fruitless, ineffectual, futile, pointless

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. vain

   Vain (Latin vanus, empty) keeps the etymological idea through all changes of meaning; a vain endeavor is empty of result, or of adequate power to produce a result, a vain pretension is empty or destitute of support, a vain person has a conceit that is empty or destitute of adequate cause or reason. That which is bootless, fruitless, or profitless fails to accomplish any valuable result; that which is abortive, ineffectual, or unavailing fails to accomplish a result that it was, or was supposed to be, adapted to accomplish. That which is useless, futile, or vain is inherently incapable of accomplishing a specified result. Useless, in the widest sense, signifies not of use for any valuable purpose, and is thus closely similar to valueless and worthless. Fruitless is more final than ineffectual, as applying to the sum or harvest of endeavor. That which is useless lacks actual fitness for a purpose; that which is vain lacks imaginable fitness. Compare VACANT; OSTENTATION; PRIDE.

   Compare synonyms for UTILITY.

   Synonyms:
   abortive, baseless, bootless, deceitful, delusive, empty, fruitless, futile, idle, inconstant, ineffectual, nugatory, null, profitless, shadowy, trifling, trivial, unavailing, unimportant, unprofitable, unreal, unsatisfying, unserviceable, unsubstantial, useless, vapid, visionary, worthless

   Antonyms:
   adequate, advantageous, beneficial, competent, effective, efficient, expedient, potent, powerful, profitable, real, serviceable, solid, sound, substantial, sufficient, useful, valid, valuable, worthy

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. vain

   Synonyms:
   empty, worthless, fruitless, unsatisfying, unavailing, idle, ineffectual, egotistic, showy, unreal, conceited, arrogant

   Antonyms:
   solid, substantial, sound, worthy, efficient, effectual, cogent, potent, unconceited, modest, real

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. conceited, egotistic, egotistical, self-conceited, swollen, swollen-headed, vainadjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   bootless, narcissistic, fruitless, swollen, self-loving, egotistic, swollen-headed, conceited, futile, sleeveless, egotistical, self-conceited

   Antonyms:
   humble, productive

2. bootless, fruitless, futile, sleeveless, vainadjective

   unproductive of success

   "a fruitless search"; "futile years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain attempt"

   Synonyms:
   unavailing, otiose, self-conceited, fruitless, egotistic, conceited, swollen-headed, futile, swollen, bootless, ineffectual, egotistical, sleeveless

   Antonyms:
   productive, humble

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   unreal, shadowy, unsubstantial, supposititious, dreamy, baseless, imaginary, empty, void

2. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   unavailing, useless, bootless, ineffectual, fruitless, profitless, futile, nugatory, abortive, unprofitable, without avail, idle, to no purpose, to no end

3. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   worthless, unsatisfying, unsatisfactory, vapid, tasteless, insipid, flat, stale, mawkish

4. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   conceited, vain-glorious, inflated, overweening, ostentatious, high, self-sufficient, flushed, opinionated, self-satisfied, self-confident, self-admiring, self-opinioned, self-flattering, high-flown, puffed up, wise in one's own conceit

5. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   boastful, vaunting

6. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   rodomontade, empty boasting

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. vainadjective

   Synonyms:
   conceited, arrogant, egotistical, overweening, vainglorious, nugatory, fruitless, ineffectual, frustrate, unavailing, bootless, futile, abortive, ineffective, empty, delusive, chimerical, unsatisfying, unsubstantial, deceitful

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "vain":

   futile, conceited, fruitless, pointless, useless, unsuccessful, only, marl, unnecessary

Concise Medical Dictionary, by Joseph C Segen, MDRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. VAIN

   Synonyms:
   Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia

2. VAIN

   Synonyms:
   Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia

Suggested Resources

1. vain

   Song lyrics by vain -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by vain on the Lyrics.com website.

2. VAIN

   What does VAIN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the VAIN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce vain?

How to say vain in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use vain in a sentence?

1. Stobaeus:

   How vain is learning unless intelligence go with it.

2. Stephen Vizinczey:

   Most bad books get that way because their authors are engaged in trying to justify themselves. If a vain author is an alcoholic, then the most sympathetically portrayed character in his book will be an alcoholic. This sort of thing is very boring for outsiders.

3. George Eliot:

   It is, I fear, but a vain show of fulfilling the heathen precept, Know thyself, and too often leads to a self-estimate which will subsist in the absence of that fruit by which alone the quality of the tree is made evident.

4. Charlotte Brontë:

   It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.

5. Mark Milley:

   We prevented the United States of America from ever being attacked again. There's a lot of conflicted feelings out there, and I'm included in that. A lot of conflicted feelings with pain and anger, we all have it, every one of us that served there has that, i want everyone out there to know that the pain, the anger, the frustration, the conflicted feelings are real and I know that and I share them. I also want you to know it wasn't in vain, your service mattered and if you wore a uniform your service mattered.