1
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a man so vain that he spent hours admiring himself in the mirror
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
all their efforts to escape proved vain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in worthless
having no usefulness
having tired of the vain pleasures of life in the fast lane, he returned to the small town he had grown up in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vain
Foolish, vain, and petty Jasmine may be, but Blanchett managed to make her slow-motion downfall oddly emotional.
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025
Sabalenka refused to let up in the second set, forcing Kartal to sprint around the court in a vain attempt to withstand the barrage and wrapping up the victory in a little over an hour.
—Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 13 Mar. 2025
This doesn’t mean these women are vain or superficial.
—Rebecca Lester, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
There have been pure hammerings inflicted by a magisterial opponent, there have been vain attempts to keep the score down, there have been have-a-go failures and defensive mishaps.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025
Sabalenka refused to let up in the second set, forcing Kartal to sprint around the court in a vain attempt to withstand the barrage and wrapping up the victory in a little over an hour.
—Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 13 Mar. 2025
This doesn’t mean these women are vain or superficial.
—Rebecca Lester, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
There have been pure hammerings inflicted by a magisterial opponent, there have been vain attempts to keep the score down, there have been have-a-go failures and defensive mishaps.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
-
The washers contain a large haul of cocaine, which Mia and Charlie are tasked with delivering to the Chinatown hangout of smug young local Triad boss Tsui Fong (Jeremy Ang Jones) to square up a debt.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Drew continues to dutifully poke holes in Brit’s victim narrative, telling the new girl that her smug attitude following Kenya’s firing is alienating.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These results, though significant, don’t necessarily mean that efforts to effectively mitigate deepfakes are futile.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The similarly futile attempts to portray John Walker as a flawed but good man, despite his callous rage and murderous tendencies?—
Nola Pfau,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Removing or reforming colleges with chronically poor outcomes means fewer borrowers entering repayment with no degree or worthless credentials.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Settlers who actually traveled to Florida to inspect their purchases were likely to be greeted by muddy parcels of worthless swampland overrun with snakes and mosquitoes, miles away from anything resembling civilization.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong are proud of the state of stoner comedy.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
3 May 2025
-
This is something that New England should be proud of.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
Each unsuccessful vote will be burned in a furnace with chemicals to dye the plume a black color.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2025
-
During his unsuccessful 2022 congressional bid, Kent consulted with Nick Fuentes, the young white supremacist, and hired a campaign adviser who was a member of the Proud Boys, a violent far-right group.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Streets that typically buzzed with life were empty.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Related article Trump was warned of empty shelves and financial turmoil from tariffs and firing Powell.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That doesn’t portray a hero, but rather someone so arrogant as to invent his own law and appoint himself its executioner.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In one sense, Henry is the kind of useless man who creates hard times with his own passivity.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin Like many a controversial Y2K trend, the useless hip belt has made its way back into the sartorial zeitgeist with trendsetters like Emily Ratajkowski and Dua Lipa reviving the aesthetic in recent seasons.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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