vain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A woman whose daughter died less than two weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour is campaigning to change "appalling" research funding so her death "isn't in vain".
From BBC • May 27, 2026
The Rays say the answer to their problems is a new stadium, and they have been trying in vain to turn that dream into a reality for 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Playing a vain, pitch-perfect vision of Los Angeles’ wickedness in “Maps to the Stars,” Julianne Moore mothered so hard she almost separated California right down the San Andreas fault line.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
President Claudia Sheinbaum even tried in vain to arrange more concerts.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
It was quite in vain for me to endeavour to make him sensible that he ought to speak to Miss Havisham.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Vocabulary lists containing vain
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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