1
2
: marked by futility or ineffectualness : unsuccessful, useless
vain efforts to escape
searched in the vain hope of finding the document
vainly
adverb
Phrases
in vain
1
: to no end : without success or result
her efforts were in vain
2
: in an irreverent or blasphemous manner
Being a religion writer, I have always tried to avoid using the Lord's name in vain. I have not always succeeded.—
Don Lattin
see also take in vain
Don LattinExamples of vain in a Sentence
For a half a century, scholars have searched in vain for the source of the jade that the early civilizations of the Americas prized above all else and fashioned into precious objects of worship, trade and adornment.
—William J. Broad, New York Times, 22 May 2002
… the miseries of people's lives ought not to be exploited ad libitum in the furtherance of our profits or our careers, and in the vain conviction that we understand everything.
—Richard Taruskin, New Republic, 24 Dec. 2001
It is in 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.
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.
—Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain …
—William Shakespeare, King Richard the Second, 1596
She is very vain about her appearance.
He is the vainest man I know.
A vain effort to quell the public's fears only made matters worse.
Volunteers searched the area in the vain hope of finding clues.
William J. Broad, New York Times, 22 May 2002
… the miseries of people's lives ought not to be exploited ad libitum in the furtherance of our profits or our careers, and in the vain conviction that we understand everything.
—Richard Taruskin, New Republic, 24 Dec. 2001
It is in 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.
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.
—Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain …
—William Shakespeare, King Richard the Second, 1596
She is very vain about her appearance.
He is the vainest man I know.
A vain effort to quell the public's fears only made matters worse.
Volunteers searched the area in the vain hope of finding clues.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet the efforts so far have been in vain.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The first-half goal from Danish forward Mikael Uhre was enough to take the Union to a 20th win of the campaign and an insurmountable 66 points, meaning Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over the New England Revolution was in vain.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
The Dash, at any moment, may try in vain to dock again to change her fate.
—Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
Was Paul McLaughlin’s death in vain?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
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Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The first-half goal from Danish forward Mikael Uhre was enough to take the Union to a 20th win of the campaign and an insurmountable 66 points, meaning Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over the New England Revolution was in vain.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
The Dash, at any moment, may try in vain to dock again to change her fate.
—Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
Was Paul McLaughlin’s death in vain?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vain. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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