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
Kirk promised that her husband will not have died in vain and said that instead his message would only become stronger.
—
Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Thomas doesn't want her daughter to die in vain, either.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
My daughter-in-law’s mother and I always peek into the boxes hoping in vain that this year something with red sauce and nitrates will appear.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Thomas doesn't want her daughter to die in vain, either.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
My daughter-in-law’s mother and I always peek into the boxes hoping in vain that this year something with red sauce and nitrates will appear.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
-
However, Ralph has a smug attitude when talking to Brad.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Colum’s smug assurance that the wedding will happen soon is rocked when Ned shows up with news of the Grants’ suspicions about the raid.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
False accusations cannot be rebutted, and any attempt to secure compensation or correction through the courts is futile; no open debate is allowed in the domain of thought and art.—
Jonny Diamond,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
-
While some fans defended Jones, arguing that the defense was told to let the Jaguars score to give Patrick Mahomes and the offense more time to respond, banking on less than 30 seconds to tie the game proved futile to the Chiefs, who fell to 2-3 on the season.—
Trevor Squire,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Another recurring feature of the biggest asset booms is outright chicanery, such as fraudulent accounting, the marketing of worthless securities, and plain old stealing.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Marks drew a parallel to the late 1990s internet boom, which promised to transform the world — and ultimately did — yet left a trail of worthless companies in its wake.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
These four are all very proud of their special status, which involves democratic processes, including members electing the club’s president, approving (or not) annual accounts, and voting on changes to club statutes at assemblies that must be held once a year.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The whole purpose of that flag even being created was to have something that Black Americans could be proud of and recognize us as people, as human beings, and as contributors to this country.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Romo was starting to describe how Mahomes was complaining about the attempt being unsuccessful when he was interrupted by the Chiefs running the ball and picking up the first down.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
However, the shooting was unsuccessful and Alex suffered only superficial wounds.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Current school board President Kareem Moncree-Moffett, longtime member Brandon Craig and Jim Crosset, appointed last year to fill an empty seat left by Mike Moroski, make up the incumbents running for reelection.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 Oct. 2025
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Sean Kuraly sealed the win by hitting an empty net with three seconds left in the game.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Some might see you as arrogant.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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Jackson returns as Wes Bryant, a handsome, intelligent, but arrogant man who had just moved to Seattle and was revealed to be a new medical intern at Grey Sloan.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Miles are useless for trying to define how enormous our galaxy is.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Advertisement One Battle After Another, Eddington, and The Mastermind all comedically register white men as useless political collaborators.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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