different between vain vs petty
vain
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)
- 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.
- 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N
- Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
- Let no man deceive you with vain words.
- Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.
- Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
- 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
- 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
- only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
- ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)
- mikä vain, milloin vain (“whenever”)
- Synonym: tahansa
- An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.
- (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)
- useless, ineffective, fruitless
- 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
- (Jersey) vain
Derived terms
- vainement (“vainly”)
vain From the web:
- what vain means
- what vainglory mean
- what vein carries oxygenated blood
- what vein carries blood to the heart
- what vein drains the liver
- what vein is used to draw blood
- what vein carries deoxygenated blood
- what vein drains the brain
petty
English
Etymology
From Middle English pety, from Old French peti, petit. Doublet of petit. The disparaging meaning developed over the 16th century.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?p?ti/
- Homophone: Petty
- (General American) IPA(key): [?p???i]
- Homophones: Petty, pedi
- Rhymes: -?ti
Adjective
petty (comparative pettier or more petty, superlative pettiest or most petty)
- (obsolete except in set phrases) Little, small, secondary in rank or importance.
- petty officer, petty cash
- Insignificant, trifling, or inconsiderable.
- a petty fault
- Narrow-minded, small-minded.
- Begrudging in nature, especially over insignificant matters.
- That corporation is only slightly pettier than they are greedy, and they are overdue to reap the consequences.
Synonyms
- (little, unimportant): See Thesaurus:insignificant
- (begrudging): grudgeful, grudging
Antonyms
- (little): See Thesaurus:big
- (begrudging): See Thesaurus:kindly
- (small-minded): broad-minded
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- quibble
Noun
petty (plural petties)
- (usually in the plural, obsolete) A little schoolboy, either in grade or size.
- (historical) A class or school for young schoolboys.
- (dialect, euphemistic) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
Synonyms
- (school for young schoolboys): ABC, petty school
- (class for young schoolboys): petty form
- (outhouse): See Thesaurus:outhouse
See also
- Petty France
References
- "petty, adj. and n.", in the Oxford English Dictionary (2005), Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- “petty”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
- petty in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- petty in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Hungarian
Alternative forms
- pötty
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [?p?c?]
- Hyphenation: petty
- Rhymes: -?c?
Noun
petty (plural pettyek)
- dot, spot, fleck, speck
- Synonyms: folt, pont, paca, pecsét, csepp, (on the face) szepl?
Derived terms
(Expressions):
- hétpettyes katicabogár (“seven-spot[ted] ladybird/ladybug”)
Declension
Further reading
- petty in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmez? szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: ?ISBN
petty From the web:
- what petty mean
- what petty means in spanish
- what petty cash means
- what petty died
- what petty means in english
- what petty larceny mean
- what petty theft means
- what petty officer means
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Pin
Like
Send
Share
you may also like
- vain vs petty
- scurvy vs scandalous
- partnership vs confederacy
- reef vs shallow
- exhilarating vs fast
- wreck vs waste
- turbulent vs savage
- comrade vs lover
- compass vs copiousness
- initiator vs inventor
- eulogising vs nobility
- straightforward vs unsophisticated
- rule vs commonwealth
- indicatory vs significant
- fortress vs camp
- unscrupulous vs wily
- flop vs flutter
- darkness vs dusk
- contour vs mien
- unambiguously vs honestly