vain

excessively proud of one’s appearance, qualities, etc.; conceited: She is very vain about her long black hair.; arrogant; egotistical; without effect or avail: Her efforts were in vain.; worthless; unimportant
Not to be confused with:vane – blade in a wheel moved by air, steam, or water: A weather vane shows the direction of the wind.; someone who is changeable or ficklevein – blood vessel; a natural channel; a body or stratum of ore: a rich vein of coal; a condition, mood, or temper: a vein of sadness; tone; touch; thread; streak

vain

V0007200 (vān)adj. vain·er, vain·est 1. Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless: a vain attempt.2. Lacking substance or worth: vain talk.3. Having or showing excessive pride in one's appearance or accomplishments; conceited.4. Archaic Foolish.Idiom: in vain1. To no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain.2. In an irreverent or disrespectful manner: took the Lord's name in vain.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vānus, empty; see euə- in Indo-European roots.]

vain′ly adv.vain′ness n.Synonyms: vain, empty, hollow, idle, otiose
These adjectives mean lacking value or substance: vain regrets; empty pleasures; hollow threats; idle dreams; otiose theoretical discussions. See Also Synonyms at futile.

vain

(veɪn) adj1. inordinately proud of one's appearance, possessions, or achievements2. given to ostentatious display, esp of one's beauty3. worthless4. senseless or futilen5. in vain to no avail; fruitlessly6. take someone's name in vain a. to use the name of someone, esp God, without due respect or reverenceb. jocular to mention someone's name7. (Bible) to use the name of someone, esp God, without due respect or reverence8. jocular to mention someone's name[C13: via Old French from Latin vānus] ˈvainly adv ˈvainness n

vain

(veɪn)

adj. -er, -est. 1. excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc. 2. proceeding from or showing personal vanity. 3. futile: vain efforts. 4. without real significance. 5. Archaic. senseless or foolish. Idioms: in vain, a. without effect or avail; to no purpose. b. in an improper or irreverent manner: to take God's name in vain. [1250–1300; < Old French < Latin vānus empty, vain] vain′ly, adv. vain′ness, n.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	vain - 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"conceited, self-conceited, swollen, swollen-headed, egotistic, egotisticalproud - feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride; "proud parents"; "proud of his accomplishments"; "a proud moment"; "proud to serve his country"; "a proud name"; "proud princes"
	2.	vain - unproductive of success; "a fruitless search"; "futile years after her artistic peak"; "a sleeveless errand"; "a vain attempt"bootless, fruitless, futile, sleevelessunproductive - not producing or capable of producing; "elimination of high-cost or unproductive industries"

vain

adjective1. futile, useless, pointless, unsuccessful, empty, hollow, idle, trivial, worthless, trifling, senseless, unimportant, fruitless, unproductive, abortive, unprofitable, time-wasting, unavailing, nugatory They worked all night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule.
futile successful, profitable, worthwhile, serious, useful, valid, worthy, fruitful2. conceited, narcissistic, proud, arrogant, inflated, swaggering, stuck-up (informal), cocky, swanky (informal), ostentatious, egotistical, self-important, overweening, vainglorious, swollen-headed (informal), pleased with yourself, bigheaded (informal), peacockish She's a shallow, vain and self-centred woman.
conceited modest, humble, meek, self-deprecating, bashfulin vain3. useless, to no avail, unsuccessfu, fruitless, useless, unsuccessful, fruitless, wasted, vain, ineffectual, without success, to no purpose, bootless All her complaints were in vain.4. uselessly, to no avail, unsuccessfully, fruitlessly, vainly, ineffectually, without success, to no purpose, bootlessly He hammered the door, trying in vain to attract her attention.

vain

adjective1. Having no useful result:barren, bootless, fruitless, futile, unavailing, unprofitable, unsuccessful, useless.Idiom: in vain.2. Lacking value, use, or substance:empty, hollow, idle, otiose, vacant.3. Unduly preoccupied with one's own appearance:conceited, narcissistic.4. Thinking too highly of oneself:conceited, egoistic, egoistical, egotistic, egotistical, narcissistic, vainglorious.Informal: bigheaded, stuck-up, swellheaded.

Translations

徒劳的徒然的无效的空虚的自负的

vain

(vein) adjective1. having too much pride in one's appearance, achievements etc; conceited. She's very vain about her good looks.自负的2. unsuccessful. He made a vain attempt to reach the drowning woman.徒劳的3. empty; meaningless. vain threats; vain promises. 空虚的，无效的 ˈvainly adverb unsuccessfully. He searched vainly for the treasure.徒劳地vanity (ˈvӕnəti) noun1. excessive admiration of oneself; conceit. Vanity is her chief fault.虚荣心2. worthlessness or pointlessness. the vanity of human ambition.无价值的东西in vain with no success. He tried in vain to open the locked door.徒劳

vain

→ 徒然的zhCN

vain

take (one's) name in vain

To speak about someone when they are not present, as in a critical manner. The phrase comes from one of the Ten Commandments, which prohibits taking God's name in vain. Hey, I heard that! Don't take my name in vain!See also: name, take, vain

in vain

1. adjective Without success; futile. I tried to convince the other board members, but my efforts were in vain, and they outvoted me.2. adverb Without success; futilely. I tried in vain to convince the other board members, and they outvoted me.See also: vain

in vain

for no purpose; [done] as a failure. They rushed her to the hospital, but they did it in vain. We tried in vain to get her there on time.See also: vain

*proud as a peacock

and *vain as a peacockoverly proud; vain. (*Also: as ~.) Mike's been strutting around proud as a peacock since he won that award. I sometimes think Elizabeth must spend all day admiring herself in a mirror. She's as vain as a peacock.See also: peacock, proud

in vain

To no avail, useless, as in All our work was in vain. [c. 1300] Also see take someone's name in vain. See also: vain

proud as a peacock

Having a very high opinion of oneself, filled with or showing excessive self-esteem. For example, She strutted about in her new outfit, proud as a peacock. This simile alludes to the male peacock, with its colorful tail that can be expanded like a fan, which has long symbolized vanity and pride. Chaucer used it in The Reeve's Tail: "As any peacock he was proud and gay." [1200s] See also: peacock, proud

take someone's name in vain

Speak casually or idly of someone, as in There he goes, taking my name in vain again. This idiom originated as a translation from the Latin of the Vulgate Bible (Exodus 20:7), "to take God's name in vain," and for a time was used only to denote blasphemy and profanity. In the early 1700s it began to be used more loosely as well. See also: name, take, vain

take someone's name in vain

1. If someone takes God's name in vain, they say `God' in an expression that is disrespectful, often when they are swearing. He did his best with us, always gently correcting us when we took the Lord's name in vain.2. If someone takes another person's name in vain they say their name in a way that is disrespectful. `Somebody taking my name in vain?' Nordhoff called over his shoulder. Note: This is from the second of the Ten Commandments in the Bible: `Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.' (Exodus 20:7) See also: name, take, vain

take someone's name in vain

use someone's name in a way that shows a lack of respect. The third of the biblical Ten Commandments is: ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain’ (Exodus 20:7).See also: name, take, vain

take somebody’s name in ˈvain

show a lack of respect when using somebody’s name: I get very upset when people take God’s name in vain. ♢ (humorous) Have you been taking my name in vain again?This expression comes from the Bible.See also: name, take, vain

in ˈvain

without success: They tried in vain to persuade her to go. ♢ All our efforts were in vain.See also: vain

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.See also: vain

proud as a peacock

Having an exceedingly high opinion of oneself—one’s dignity or one’s importance. The comparison to a peacock, believed to allude to its strutting gait, dates from the thirteenth century. Chaucer used the simile several times, and it has often been repeated. “The self-applauding bird the peacock” is how William Cowper described it (Truth, 1781).See also: peacock, proud

take one's name in vain, to

To mention a person casually and disrespectfully. This expression, today always used jocularly, comes from the biblical commandment against blasphemy: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). It was already used more lightly in the eighteenth century, when Jonathan Swift included it in Polite Conversation (1738): “Who’s that takes my name in vain?”See also: name, take

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take (one's) name in vain

in vain

in vain

*proud as a peacock

in vain

proud as a peacock

take someone's name in vain

take someone's name in vain

take someone's name in vain

take somebody’s name in ˈvain

in ˈvain

in vain

proud as a peacock

take one's name in vain, to

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Synonyms for vain

adj futile

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adj conceited

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phrase in vain: useless

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phrase in vain: uselessly

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Synonyms for vain

adj having no useful result

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adj lacking value, use, or substance

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adj unduly preoccupied with one's own appearance

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adj thinking too highly of oneself

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Synonyms for vain

adj characteristic of false pride

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adj unproductive of success

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