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
Some men smeared cedar sap on their faces in a vain effort to repel mosquitoes and deerflies.
—
/ Cbs News, CBS News, 13 June 2025
Anything beyond that was seen as unnecessary, even vain.
—Larry Stansbury, Essence, 10 June 2025
Cowdrey was struck a painful blow by Somerset’s Adrian Jones the following week while trying in vain to lead Kent to the County Championship title and, brutally, his time in charge of the national team was quietly curtailed.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
But Simmons takes his time building his flawed character, who is soft-spoken in private, vain about his appearance and unfaithful to his wife.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
/ Cbs News, CBS News, 13 June 2025
Anything beyond that was seen as unnecessary, even vain.
—Larry Stansbury, Essence, 10 June 2025
Cowdrey was struck a painful blow by Somerset’s Adrian Jones the following week while trying in vain to lead Kent to the County Championship title and, brutally, his time in charge of the national team was quietly curtailed.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
But Simmons takes his time building his flawed character, who is soft-spoken in private, vain about his appearance and unfaithful to his wife.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
-
For those still on Windows 10 who might be feeling rather smug at avoiding these Windows 11 issues, Windows Latest has just issued a new warning, given that its own recent updates are not faring any better.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
-
His reboot has the benefit of an actor, David Corenswet, who may not have a lot of colors to work with, but whose presence is infinitely easier to take and less of a huge pile of smug than Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Go with the flow, but not toward the beach: Trying to swim directly toward the beach when caught in a rip current is futile and exhausting.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 July 2025
-
This group saw military responses as futile, as Iran was assumed to have escalation dominance.—
JAMES JEFFREY,
Foreign Affairs,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Otherwise their responses to art would be worthless.—
Charlotte Runcie
July 10,
Literary Hub,
10 July 2025
-
The incumbents protect the fort until the fort is worthless (cliche cf.—
Forrester,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
In the post, the proud single mom shared throwback photos of her with her eldest son and daughter.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
14 July 2025
-
Local entrepreneur and proud Macedonian Gordana Traycoff will lead the discussion with an evening of storytelling and cultural discovery.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
First responders also attempted to revive Riccardo, but were unsuccessful, the outlet added.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
All attempts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful, Park Service officials said.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Soft yet sturdy, linen bags like this are durable enough to hold a laptop, books, and other travel essentials, yet they can be tucked into your pocket when empty.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
19 July 2025
-
Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso were forced into post-only roles, leading to empty possessions, one-shot trips and child’s play for opposing defenses.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
As the day goes on, Jim goes from a caricature of an arrogant male director to an oddly compelling picture of a pathetic man, moved by spite toward his ex-wife, Anita.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
-
Actor Tyler Hilton played Chris Keller, a charming but arrogant musician, on four seasons of the teen soap.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Towns and hamlets have been largely pulverized along the front lines and for miles beyond; even American air defenses are mostly useless, because setting them up invites an immediate Russian attack.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Apart from evidence, some of the most important testimonies in the case were also deemed useless during the investigation.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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