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vainly

vain
V v

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [veyn]
    • /veɪn/
    • /ˈveɪn.li/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [veyn]
    • /veɪn/

Definitions of vainly word

  • adjective vainly excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited: a vain dandy. 1
  • adjective vainly proceeding from or showing pride in or concern about one's appearance, qualities, etc.; resulting from or displaying vanity: He made some vain remarks about his accomplishments. 1
  • adjective vainly ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile: vain hopes; a vain effort; a vain war. 1
  • adjective vainly without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless: vain pageantry; vain display. 1
  • adjective vainly Archaic. senseless or foolish. 1
  • idioms vainly in vain, without effect or avail; to no purpose: lives lost in vain; to apologize in vain. in an improper or irreverent manner: to take God's name in vain. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of vainly

First appearance:

before 1250
One of the 11% oldest English words
1250-1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin vānus empty, vain

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Vainly

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

vainly popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 88% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
According to our data about 52% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

vainly usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for vainly

adverb vainly

  • airily — in a jaunty or high-spirited manner
  • conceitedly — having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities, appearance, etc.
  • egotistically — In an egotistic manner.
  • emptily — In an empty manner.
  • frivolously — characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.

Top questions with vainly

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See also

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