different between vain vs profitless

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)

  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)

vain From the web:

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profitless

English

Etymology

profit +? -less

Adjective

profitless (comparative more profitless, superlative most profitless)

  1. not yielding profit
    • 1600, Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, [1]:
      I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
      Which falls into mine ears as profitless
      As water in a sieve...

profitless From the web:

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  • what do profitless mean
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