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2
: marked by futility or ineffectualness : unsuccessful, useless
vain efforts to escape
searched in the vain hope of finding the document
vainly
adverb
see also:
Examples 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
This was in vain, as after falling on a safety squeeze, Miner hit a line drive down the left line to add an insurance run and go up 4-1.
—Tony Gleason, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov is a scene-stealing delight as the vain bullfighter Escamillo.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But where Grosz targets only the vain and prosperous, Lapid puts his struggling bohemians at the heart of corruption.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
And it’s being done to try, in vain, to protect the reputation of Israel.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
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Tony Gleason, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov is a scene-stealing delight as the vain bullfighter Escamillo.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But where Grosz targets only the vain and prosperous, Lapid puts his struggling bohemians at the heart of corruption.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
And it’s being done to try, in vain, to protect the reputation of Israel.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vain. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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