| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  v n |
| ADJECTIVE: | Inflected forms: vain·er, vain·est
1. Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless: a vain attempt. 2. Lacking substance or worth: vain talk. 3. Excessively proud of one's appearance or accomplishments; conceited. 4. Archaic Foolish. | | IDIOM: | in vain 1. To no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain. 2. In an irreverent or disrespectful manner: took the Lord's name in vain. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vnus, empty. See eu - in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | vain ly —ADVERB
vainness —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | vain, empty, hollow, idle, nugatory, otiose These adjectives mean lacking value or substance: vain regrets; empty pleasures; hollow threats; idle dreams; nugatory commentaries; an otiose belief in alchemy. See also synonyms at futile.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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