vainvain /veɪn/ ●○○ adjective 
Men can be just as vain as women.► see thesaurus at proud2in vain a)without success in spite of your efforts: Police searched in vain for the missing gunman. b)without purpose or without positive results: Altman swore that his son’s death would not be in vain. → take somebody’s name in vain at name1(12)3a vain attempt, hope, or search fails to achieve the result you wantedvain attempt/effort/bid The young mother died in a vain attempt to save her drowning son.4vain threat/promise etc literary a threat, promise etc that is not worrying because the person cannot do what they say they will—vainly adverb: The instructor struggled vainly to open his parachute.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 3nounsa vain attempt/bid/effort· People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of gunfire.a vain hope· Young men moved south in the vain hope of finding work.a vain search· Mothers have been to every shop in town in a vain search for the toy.
WORD ORIGINvain
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French, Latin vanus ‘empty, vain’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment.
- I am vain enough to want to look good, but not to style my hair and paint my toenails.
- I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind.
- She's a vain girl who is always thinking about her figure.
- Later, it tried in vain to conquer the whole of the subcontinent.
- Pollsters have searched in vain for pockets of disloyalty.
- So look at your friends, see what they are a little vain about and then multiply by a factor of ten.
- The vain girl did a little dance in them, but when she tried to stop, the shoes kept on dancing.
- They are so vain in bed, much more vain than women.
THESAURUS
very pleased with what you, your family, or your country have achieved, or of something you own: · I felt so proud when my son graduated from college.· Judith’s very proud of her new Ferrari.
feeling pleased because something good has happened, especially because you think you have been very clever, skilful etc: · He was smoking a big cigar and was obviously pleased with himself.· I’d made a big profit and was feeling pretty pleased with myself.
disapproving behaving in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think you are better or know more than other people, and that your opinions are always right: · He was arrogant and regarded people who disagreed with him as fools.· his arrogant attitude to women
disapproving too proud of your appearance, in a way that annoys other people: · He’s so vain – he thinks all the girls fancy him.
disapproving proud of yourself because you think you are very intelligent, skilful, beautiful etc, especially without good reason and in a way that annoys people: · Stewart’s the most arrogant conceited person I’ve ever known.· She was offered a brilliant job and became incredibly big-headed overnight.
disapproving thinking that you are much more important than you really are, and using very long and formal words to try to sound important: · The clerk was a pompous little man with glasses.· a pompous speech
disapproving pleased with yourself in a quiet but annoying way because you think you are in a better position than other people: · Milly was looking very smug about coming top of the class.· a smug expression
disapproving pleased with what you have achieved and showing it clearly in an annoying way: · She glared angrily into his self-satisfied face.· a self-satisfied grin
Longman Language Activatorwhen a plan or attempt fails if a plan or attempt fails , it does not achieve what you want it to achieve: · They said the latest space mission was bound to fail.· Try changing the spark plugs, but if that fails take the car to a mechanic.fail to do something: · The investigation failed to establish the cause of the accident.something never fails: · The only way I can make her help me is to pretend I don't want her help. It never fails.
when a plan or attempt fails : failure of: · The failure of the peace talks has led to increased tension on the streets.end/result in failure: · Their first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in failure.
to fail: · Hoover's attempts to boost the economy did not succeed.· I argued that neither strategy could succeed.not succeed in doing something: · The campaign might not succeed in eliminating the disease, but it would make people think about health and hygiene.
an unsuccessful attempt to do something does not have the result that you wanted: · The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion.· I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
: vain attempt/effort/search a serious attempt, effort etc that is completely unsuccessful: · I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind.· He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment.
: fruitless attempt/search/effort etc one that fails completely to bring the result that you want: · I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search of her room.· After weeks of fruitless argument they finally agreed to go their separate ways.· Their attempt to settle the dispute by peaceful negotiations proved fruitless.
a meeting, discussion etc that is unproductive produces very few good results: · The meeting was long and noisy, but unproductive.· It was one of those unproductive confrontations between students and senior members of the university.
to be unsuccessful - use this especially about something that fails even though it was very carefully planned: · The government's expensive election campaign had been a failure.be a complete/total failure: · There was a 5-year plan to modernize the economy, but it was a complete failure.
if a planned attempt to do something goes wrong , it fails after it has started well: · The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.go badly wrong British (=fail completely): · The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed.
if a method or attempt does not work , it fails because it is not suitable or not right for the situation you are in: · I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn't work.not work with: · Teaching methods that work with adults do not always work with children.
if something you do to try to help or deal with a problem does no good , it does not have any useful effect: · Calm down Robyn. Getting hysterical will do no good.· You can try and persuade her to change her mind, but I don't think it'll do any good.do no good whatsoever (=have no useful effect at all): · Judges expect a certain level of competence, so staging a little-girl-lost act in court will do no good whatsoever.
if a plan, arrangement, or deal falls through , something stops it from happening, with the result that people are disappointed: · The deal fell through because they couldn't get enough money from the bank.· It was unbelievable -- it took two years to set the whole thing up and it fell through at the last minute!
if a business or political plan is dead in the water, it has failed completely, almost before it has even started - used especially in newspapers: · Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water.
when you do not succeed · We tried to make her change her mind, but we failed.fail to do something · I failed to convince him that I was right.· Having failed to find her friend, she decided to return home.fail completely · If they were trying to put us out of business, they have failed completely.fail miserably (=fail completely, in a way that is embarrassing) · Millions of people have tried to quit smoking and failed miserably.
when you fail in something you are trying to do: · She never tries anything because she's terrified of failure.· His ability has been called into question after a number of recent failures.failure to do something: · The failure of the international community to deal effectively with the problem has cost thousands of lives.
informal to fail in your job, especially because you do not earn a lot of money or do not become well known and respected: not make it as: · No one was surprised when he didn't make it as a rock star.not make it in: · She soon realized she'd never make it in the cut-throat world of journalism.
to fail after trying hard for a long time: · Unless you compromise, you'll get nowhere.get nowhere with: · Realizing she was getting nowhere with Paul, she approached John.
if all your work, preparation etc is for nothing , you have tried to achieve something and spent a lot of time on it, but failed: · If we don't get the contract all our hard work will have been for nothing.· I don't want to struggle all my life for nothing.
if you tried to do something in vain , or if your efforts were in vain ,you completely failed after a lot of effort: try/search/battle etc in vain: · Doctors tried in vain to save him but he died just before dawn.· Police have spent hours searching in vain for the missing teenager.be in vain: · It took a great deal of courage to admit that all her efforts had been in vain.
British /come up empty-handed American informal fail to find or discover information or a person or thing you are looking for: · Once again police investigators have drawn a blank.· The private detective she hired to look for him had come up empty-handed.
too proud someone who is conceited or big-headed is too proud of their own achievements or abilities, in a way that annoys other people: · You're the most conceited, selfish person I've ever met!· I know this sounds big-headed, but I've always been good at French.
someone who is arrogant behaves as if their opinions are more important than other people's, and thinks that they are always right: · You are a rude and arrogant young man.· his arrogant disregard for other people's opinions
someone who is vain thinks they are very good-looking, special, or intelligent: · She's a vain girl who is always thinking about her figure.· I am vain enough to want to look good, but not to style my hair and paint my toenails.
quietly pleased with yourself in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think you are in a better position than other people: · Lawson comes over as smug and arrogant, but in fact he's quite a decent man.· If you knew, which I'm sure you did judging from your smug expression, why didn't you tell me?smug about: · I felt very smug about not wasting paper.
someone who is self-satisfied thinks that they are very clever, very successful etc, often without good reason, and shows this in an annoying way: · Doyle's self-satisfied smile irritated Haworth.· He was in his early 40s and had the self-satisfied air of someone who has achieved fame and success.· What makes a second-rate actress like Jean so self-satisfied, so over-confident?
spoken to be always talking about your abilities and achievements and never show any interest in those of other people: · She's a good-looking woman, but too full of herself for my liking.· He was too full of himself to care about anyone else.
feeling unreasonably proud of yourself, especially because you think you have done something clever: · I had made a big profit on the deal and was feeling inordinately pleased with myself.· After deceiving us all like that, she went away, no doubt very pleased with herself.
also fancy yourself British spoken informal use this when you think someone is too proud of their abilities or appearance: · You think you're it, don't you? Well you're not!· Like most young professional footballers, he really fancied himself.
to start behaving as if you are very important as a result of something, for example a success or being praised by someone: · It's not surprising that young rock bands let success go to their heads.· I know you did well, but don't let it go to your head -- the hardest part's still to come.
British /too big for your britches American informal to start thinking you are more important than you really are, especially because you have been successful in something: · Bonaparte wasn't all that bad. He was just a soldier who got too big for his boots.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 3nouns
· People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of gunfire.
· Young men moved south in the vain hope of finding work.
· Mothers have been to every shop in town in a vain search for the toy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=one that does not succeed)· They worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule.
(=a false statement that something is good or possible) ‘Making knowledge work’ is the university’s phrase, and it is no idle boast (=not a boast, but true).
‘Making knowledge work’ is the university’s phrase, and it is no idle boast (=not a boast, but true). (=hope for something that is impossible)· He traveled south in the vain hope of finding work.
· He searched in vain for a means of escape.
· He has tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking.
(=wait for something that never happens)· They waited in vain for their son to come home.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Fifi was back at the bars and stretching out her hand in a vain attempt to reach the steel tray.· Atmel is spending $ 400 million this year in a vain attempt to meet demand.· Curling his toes in a vain attempt to frustrate the inhospitable lino, Mungo watched, fascinated.· Something walking across her grave ... or the forces in heaven laughing at her vain attempts to re-write her future?· People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of sirens and gunfire.· Once, I dived full-length across the court in a vain attempt to retrieve the ball.· In a vain attempt to maintain her independence, she spent Monday and Tuesday nights at home - alone.· The protesters flung handfuls of earth into the trenches in a vain attempt to lift the siege of the West Bank town.
· Mr Lamont's squandering of £1 billion in his vain bid to prop up the pound has not helped.
· I had visited her often in the London hospital where vain efforts were made to stop the spread of cancer.
· This proved a vain hope, as the young student soon acquired a following of like-minded people.· In the last months of 1978 several of his former servants were arrested in this vain hope.· It was usually a vain hope.· But I knew this was a vain hope because the house was always locked securely.· Better than enduring his fumbling during the night in the vain hope of satisfaction when the need was strong in her.· But since passion does not come in bottles it seems a vain hope.· Guided by a mournful bleating, he came across several groups of sheep, huddled together in the vain hope of safety.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► vain threat/promise etc
1someone who is vain is too proud of their good looks, abilities, or position – used to show disapproval SYN conceited: - Doctors tried in vain to save him but he died just before dawn.
- If people don't learn from this, then his suffering and death were in vain.
- It took a great deal of courage to admit that all her efforts had been in vain.
- Police have spent hours searching in vain for the missing teenager.
- Workers tried in vain to keep the building from collapsing.
Men can be just as vain as women.► see thesaurus at proud2in vain a)without success in spite of your efforts: Police searched in vain for the missing gunman. b)without purpose or without positive results: Altman swore that his son’s death would not be in vain. → take somebody’s name in vain at name1(12)3a vain attempt, hope, or search fails to achieve the result you wantedvain attempt/effort/bid The young mother died in a vain attempt to save her drowning son.4vain threat/promise etc literary a threat, promise etc that is not worrying because the person cannot do what they say they will—vainly adverb: The instructor struggled vainly to open his parachute.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 3nounsa vain attempt/bid/effort· People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of gunfire.a vain hope· Young men moved south in the vain hope of finding work.a vain search· Mothers have been to every shop in town in a vain search for the toy.