vain — having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth
Pronunciation (IPA): /veɪn/
Example Sentences
- The vain actor spent three hours getting ready for a five-minute interview.
- His vain attempts to fix the computer only made it worse.
- She's so vain, she probably thinks this song is about her.
vain
ADJECTIVE[/veɪn/]
having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth
All their efforts were vain after the storm destroyed the project overnight.
The politician’s vain promises disappeared once the election was over. (VALUELESS + PRIDE = VAIN → empty pride or useless effort)
All his vain complaints faded away, but the consequences still remained.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'vanus' meaning empty, hollow, or worthless. The word entered Middle English through Old French 'vain' and evolved to describe someone with an inflated sense of self-worth.
Breakdown
vain (from Latin vanus meaning empty/hollow) - single morpheme with no productive affixes in modern English, though historically the Latin root contained the concept of emptiness that metaphorically extended to describe empty pride
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The vain actor spent three hours getting ready for a five-minute interview.”
“His vain attempts to fix the computer only made it worse.”
“She's so vain, she probably thinks this song is about her.”
“It was all in vain - the meeting was cancelled anyway.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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