different between vain vs false

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

From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fall? (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus. Compare Scots fals, false, Saterland Frisian falsk, German falsch, Dutch vals, Swedish and Danish falsk; all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese, from Old English l?as (“false”); See lease, leasing. Doublet of faux.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General New Zealand, General Australian) IPA^(key): /f??ls/, /f?ls/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f?ls/, /f?ls/

Adjective

false (comparative falser, superlative falsest)

1. Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
2. Based on factually incorrect premises.

3. Spurious, artificial.
4. (logic) Of a state in Boolean logic that indicates a negative result.
5. Uttering falsehood; dishonest or deceitful.

6. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous.
7. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous.
8. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.
9. Used in the vernacular name of a species (or group of species) together with the name of another species to which it is similar in appearance.

10. (music) Out of tune.

Synonyms

• lease
• See also Thesaurus:false

Antonyms

• (untrue): real, true

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

false (comparative more false, superlative most false)

1. in a dishonest and disloyal way; falsely.

Noun

false (plural falses)

1. One of two options on a true-or-false test.

Anagrams

• A.S.L.E.F., Leafs, alefs, fasel, feals, fleas, leafs, lefsa

Italian

Adjective

false f pl

1. feminine plural of falso

Latin

Noun

false

1. vocative singular of falsus

References

• false in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• false in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• false in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Spanish

Verb

false

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of falsar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of falsar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of falsar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of falsar.