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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vain
Locked away in a tower, 18-year-old Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has a seemingly endless train of hair with healing powers, which her kidnapper, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), uses to her advantage in a vain attempt to maintain a youthful appearance.
—
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
By contrast, Farmer’s book editor Davis is charming and ebullient, but also vain, dishonest, overtly macho and misogynistic.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Governments such as those of Spain and Italy demanded in vain the release of several of its nationals.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Some tribes in the region that traditionally hold First Salmon feasts to welcome the arrival of spring salmon from the ocean have waited for their catch in vain, forcing them to ask other tribes to donate a fish, Gobin said.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
By contrast, Farmer’s book editor Davis is charming and ebullient, but also vain, dishonest, overtly macho and misogynistic.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Governments such as those of Spain and Italy demanded in vain the release of several of its nationals.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Some tribes in the region that traditionally hold First Salmon feasts to welcome the arrival of spring salmon from the ocean have waited for their catch in vain, forcing them to ask other tribes to donate a fish, Gobin said.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Their effort to find a home in Overtown seemed futile until Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon, who grew up in Liberty City, conceived a brilliant idea.—
Dorothy Jenkins Fields,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
But the rally felt less threatening than futile.—
Zach Fisch,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The gain from a call option would exceed the return on the stock alone, but involves greater risk than simply buying the stock because the contracts can expire worthless.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its soil in the mid-1990s, Russia provided a security guarantee that proved worthless.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But the reaction is just as vast, and even more persistent, Angela was proud to tell me about Moon Palace’s place as a node in a larger community network.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Now 32, the Canadian is the proud owner of 25 X Games medals, including 14 gold total and eight in the slopestyle discipline.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These therapies are not universally successful, of course, but can often save lives and defeat cancers where other methods are unsuccessful.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Symptoms include cravings, unsuccessful quit attempts, tolerance and withdrawal.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
By the time Rasmus Dahlin’s empty-net goal hit the back of the net to complete his hat trick and put the finishing touch on Buffalo’s 7-4 lead, there weren’t enough Leafs fans left in the building to boo.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The gas station was mostly empty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness genius.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brown’s statement on Monday was mostly useless corporate-speak.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This tiny amount of copper acts as a molecular steering wheel, preventing sugar molecules from shattering into useless carbon dioxide.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
