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
Instead he might have been remembered as another god or angel among many, who came down for a while to heal some bodies, heal some souls, who tried in vain to teach us how to get back to the radix of our lives, then left again.
—
Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Fearing that Williams might go to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, the 49ers tried in vain to trade up to No. 8 with the Carolina Panthers.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
The recent arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague suggests that such efforts are not necessarily in vain.
—Boyd Van Dijk, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025
Conclave depicts the Catholic church at an inflection point, with warring political factions proving themselves vain, self-serving, and hypocritical in their pursuit of power.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Fearing that Williams might go to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, the 49ers tried in vain to trade up to No. 8 with the Carolina Panthers.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
The recent arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague suggests that such efforts are not necessarily in vain.
—Boyd Van Dijk, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025
Conclave depicts the Catholic church at an inflection point, with warring political factions proving themselves vain, self-serving, and hypocritical in their pursuit of power.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
-
Twenty-three years of a smug, smarmy host, and a bunch of sportswriters desperate for sound bites and attention.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
-
There’s the divorced couple maintaining their relationship for their children; the happy and occasionally smug monogamist; the man who prefers not to commit; the woman who can’t decide.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Cutting spending wasted on a futile pursuit of a global empire is not just a fiscal necessity.—
Ron Paul,
Oc Register,
20 May 2025
-
Desperate Steve Kerr frequently toggled his non-Draymond Green big men as late as the second round of the playoffs in a futile effort to contain the giants of the Minnesota Timberwolves around the rim.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
Even as Amtrak officials were sitting with Hochul yesterday and offering her more worthless promises, the Amtrak Board of Directors was holding a rare public session.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2025
-
At the same time, a blanket rule against nationwide injunctions would render many court orders worthless.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
They were thanked for coming by loyal Canadians, clearly proud of their head of state.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
27 May 2025
-
At Ferrara, which has a long, proud history of making candy in Chicago, the business outlook is still positive, according to Greg Guidotti, chief marketing officer.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Officials said he was found semiconscious on the River Trail on June 30 but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
-
Efforts to refloat the ship during high tide on Thursday were unsuccessful.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
American retailers cried foul and indicated Santa Claus’s sled would be empty.—
Bruce Yandle,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2025
-
Those who depend on the river are already dealing with uncertainty: this season’s mountain snowpack is expected to deliver about half the median amount of water to the system’s two major reservoirs, which are already two-thirds empty.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
-
Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant.—
Amanda Chicago Lewis,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The character who can go through walls is useless, because beyond the walls is nothing but dirt.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
-
For one, any melasma treatment is practically useless without them.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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