different between vain vs absurd

English

Alternative forms

• wayn (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin v?nus (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: v?n, IPA^(key): /ve?n/
• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -e?n

Adjective

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
   • 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

     Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.

2. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
   • Let no man deceive you with vain words.
3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   • Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
4. Showy; ostentatious.

Synonyms

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

Derived terms

• in vain
• vainness
• vainly

Related terms

• vanity

Translations

Further reading

• vain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• vain at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Vina, Viña, vina

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• ven

Etymology

From Latin v?num. Compare Istriot veîn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?/

Noun

vain m

1. wine

Finnish

Alternative forms

• vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Etymology

Probably an old instructive plural of vajaa. Cognate with Estonian vaid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???i?n/, [???i?n]
• Rhymes: -?in
• Syllabification: vain

Adverb

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   mikä vain, milloin vain (“whenever”)

   Synonym: tahansa

3. An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.

4. (with a verb in imperative) go ahead, be my guest

   Synonyms: sen kuin, sen kun

Derived terms

• kuka vain
• mikä vain

Anagrams

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

French

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin v?nus, from Proto-Indo-European *h?weh?- (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /v??/
• Homophones: vainc, vaincs, vains, vin, vingt, vingts, vins, vint, vînt

Adjective

vain (feminine singular vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless
2. vain, shallow

Synonyms

• inutile

Derived terms

• en vain

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin v?nus (“empty”).

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)

English

Etymology

First attested in 1557. From Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”). Compare surd.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?b?z??d/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?s??d/
• (US) IPA^(key): /æb?s?d/, /æb?z?d/, /?b?s?d/, /?b?z?d/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /æb?z?d/
• Rhymes: -??(r)d

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder or more absurd, superlative absurdest or most absurd)

1. Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; silly. [First attested in the mid 16^th century.]
   • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv

     This proffer is absurd and reasonless.

   • ca. 1710, Alexander Pope

     This phrase absurd to call a villain great
2. (obsolete) Inharmonious; dissonant. [Attested only in the early 17^th century.]
3. Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.
4. Dealing with absurdism.

Usage notes

• In the comparative and superlative degrees, the forms more absurd and most absurd are usually preferred over absurder, absurdest.
• Among the synonyms:
  • Irrational is the weakest, denoting that which is plainly inconsistent with the dictates of sound reason; as, an irrational course of life.
  • Foolish rises higher, and implies either a perversion of that faculty, or an absolute weakness or fatuity of mind; as, foolish enterprises.
  • Absurd rises still higher, denoting that which is plainly opposed to received notions of propriety and truth; as, an absurd man, project, opinion, story, argument, etc.
  • Preposterous rises still higher, and supposes an absolute inversion in the order of things; or, in plain terms, a "putting of the cart before the horse;" as, a preposterous suggestion, preposterous conduct, a preposterous regulation or law.

Synonyms

• foolish, irrational, ridiculous, preposterous, inconsistent, incongruous, ludicrous
• See also Thesaurus:absurd

Derived terms

• absurdly, absurdity
• Absurdistan

Translations

Noun

absurd (plural absurds)

1. (obsolete) An absurdity. [Attested from the early 17^th century until the mid 17^th century.]
2. (philosophy, often preceded by the) The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any; the state or condition in which man exists in an irrational universe and his life has no meaning outside of his existence. [First attested in English in the early 20^th century and first used in the mid-19^th century in Danish by Kierkegaard.]

Derived terms

• Theatre of the Absurd

Translations

References

Further reading

• absurd in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• absurd in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Brauds, Burdas

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?p?su?t/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?p?surt/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ap?su?t/

Adjective

absurd (feminine absurda, masculine plural absurds, feminine plural absurdes)

1. absurd

Derived terms

• absurdament

Related terms

• absurditat
• sord

Noun

absurd m (plural absurds)

1. absurdity

Further reading

• “absurd” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “absurd” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “absurd” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “absurd” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /absurd/, [?b?su???d?]

Adjective

absurd (neuter absurd, plural and definite singular attributive absurde)

1. absurd

Adverb

absurd

1. absurdly

Derived terms

• absurditet

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?s?rt/
• Hyphenation: ab?surd
• Rhymes: -?rt

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative absurdst)

1. absurd

Inflection

Related terms

• absurdisme
• absurditeit

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurdismus
• Absurdität

Further reading

• “absurd” in Duden online

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German absurd, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?zu?t/, [?p?zu?t]

Adjective

absurd (masculine absurden, neuter absurd, comparative méi absurd, superlative am absurdsten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurditéit

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?s??/, /ab?s??d/, /ap?s??/, /ap?s??d/
• Rhymes: -??, -??d
• Hyphenation: ab?surd

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde, comparative mer absurd, superlative mest absurd)

1. absurd (contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth)

   Synonyms: fornuftsstridig, meningsløs, irrasjonell

2. (theater, literary sciences) absurdist (of or relating to absurdism)

   Synonym: absurdistisk

Derived terms

References

• “absurd” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “absurd” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “absurd” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• bardus

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde)

1. absurd

Related terms

• absurditet

References

• “absurd” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ap.surt/

Noun

absurd m inan (diminutive absurdzik)

1. nonsense

   Synonym: nonsens

   Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.

   His suggestions are one big load of nonsense.

2. (logic) absurdity

Declension

Derived terms

• (verb) absurdalizowa?
• (nouns) absurdalno??, absurdalista, absurdalizacja
• (adjective) absurdalny
• (adverb) absurdalnie

Further reading

• absurd in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• absurd in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French absurde, Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?surd/

Adjective

absurd m or n (feminine singular absurd?, masculine plural absurzi, feminine and neuter plural absurde)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurditate

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurdism
• absurditet

Tatar

Adjective

absurd

1. Latin spelling of ?????? (absurd)