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
-
Understanding each other is futile.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The court fights all proved futile, however.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
23 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
-
Both of our co-founders, along with much of our leadership team, are proud Kentucky natives.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In photos from the show, the proud mom and aunt could be seen walking down the runway hand-in-hand with her two sons, while Zaya led the way in front of them.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Mellon family foundation did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment, and attempts by the Times to reach Mellon were unsuccessful.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.—
Shane Connuck,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When you’re done, simply pop open the large dustbin and empty debris directly into the trash—no tugging out tangled hair or gunk required.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Most retailers sign leases at the beginning of the year, so by midsummer, when Spirit is hunting for empty buildings, there isn’t much competition for whatever’s available.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere, the details lifted from the book suffer in translation – Branagh’s Victor is appropriately arrogant but not adequately tortured; De Niro’s Monster is sensitive and intuitive, but drowns in the film’s hurried, hollow second half.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But to borrow Manidis’s framework, the drive to create such a tool conflates useless toil with meaningful labor.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The rules of grammar were useless now, and never truly rules.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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