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in vain. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
in vain, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in vain in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
in vain you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Adverb
in vain (comparative more in vain, superlative most in vain)
- (idiomatic) Without success or a result; ending in failure.
- 19th c., Friedrich Nietzsche
- On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain.
1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 46:For some time Grannie tried in vain to comfort her.
1960 March, J. P. Wilson, E. N. C. Haywood, “The route through the Peak: Derby to Manchester. Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 149:All these great plans were in vain, however, for in the cold dawn following the "Mania" years of 1845–46 the M.B.M. & M.J.R. project was truncated to an 11+1⁄2-mile line from Ambergate to Rowsley.
- (idiomatic) In a disrespectful manner, without honoring the proper meaning; insincerely or without proper respect.
1817, Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, published 2015, page 4:Methinks I see him even now in my mind's eye;— the firm and upright figure,— the step, quick and determined, — the eye, which shot so keen and so penetrating a glance,— the features on which care had already planted wrinkles, and hear his language, in which he never wasted word in vain, expressed in a voice which had sometimes an occasional harshness, far from the intention of the speaker.
2013, Mandy Merck, The Sexual Subject: Screen Reader in Sexuality:A fetishist regime attempts to annul the separation of image and spectator, to reinstall an immediate relation that promises (in vain) to provide satisfaction to desire itself.
2015, Kent Gramm, The Prayer of Jesus: A Reading of the Lord’s Prayer, page 69:This petition is the reverse side of the commandment against taking God's name in vain.
2015, Jimmy R. Watson, Big Jesus: A Pastor’s Struggle with Christology, page 119:McLaren's task, it seems, is to set Jesus in a more appropriate and biblical context so that we won't use his name “in vain.”
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
without success
- Arabic: عَبَثًا (ʕabaṯan), سُدًى (sudan).
- Armenian: զուր (hy) (zur), իզուր (hy) (izur)
- Belarusian: дарэ́мна (darémna), дарма́ (darmá), ма́рна (márna)
- Bulgarian: напразно (bg) (naprazno)
- Catalan: en va
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 徒然 (zh) (túrán), 白白 (zh) (báibái), 無益/无益 (zh) (wúyì), 徒勞/徒劳 (zh) (túláo)
- Chinook Jargon: k'ax̣chi
- Czech: neúspěšně
- Dutch: tevergeefs (nl), vergeefs (nl)
- Esperanto: sensolve, vane (eo)
- Finnish: turhaan (fi), tarpeettomasti, tarpeetta
- French: en vain (fr), inutilement (fr)
- Galician: en balde, en van
- German: vergebens (de), vergeblich (de), umsonst (de)
- Greek: μάταια (el) (mátaia), του κάκου (el) (tou kákou), εις μάτην (el) (eis mátin), επί ματαίω (el) (epí mataío)
- Ancient: μάτην (mátēn), ἅλιον (hálion), μάψ (máps) (Epic)
- Hungarian: hiába (hu), hasztalan (hu), hasztalanul (hu)
- Icelandic: til einskis, árangurslaus (is), unnið fyrir gýg
- Ingrian: turhaa
- Italian: invano (it)
- Japanese: 無益の (ja) (むえきの, mueki no)
- Kazakh: бекер (beker)
- Korean: 헛되이 (heotdoei)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: باداوە (ckb) (badawe)
- Latin: in cassum, futtile, frustrā (la), in vānum
- Malayalam: വൃഥാ (ml) (vr̥thā), വെറുതെ (ml) (veṟute)
- Manchu: ᠮᡝᡴᡝᠯᡝ (mekele)
- Maori: parau, paraurehe, huakore
- Navajo: chʼééh
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: forgjeves, fånyttes
- Nynorsk: forgjeves
- Old English: on īdel
- Plautdietsch: vejäfs
- Polish: daremnie (pl), na darmo (pl), na próżno (pl), bezskutecznie (pl)
- Portuguese: em vão (pt), inutilmente (pt)
- Romanian: degeaba (ro), în zadar
- Russian: напра́сно (ru) (naprásno), зря (ru) (zrja), да́ром (ru) (dárom), тще́тно (ru) (tščétno), впусту́ю (ru) (vpustúju), всу́е (ru) (vsúje), зря (ru) (zrja), безуспе́шно (ru) (bezuspéšno), по́пусту (ru) (pópustu) (to no purpose)
- Serbo-Croatian: ȕzalūd (sh), ȕzalūdno
- Slovene: zamàn
- Spanish: en vano (es), en balde (es), inútilmente (es)
- Swedish: förgäves (sv)
- Tagalog: lihing
- Turkish: boşuna (tr)
- Ukrainian: ма́рно (márno), даре́мно (darémno), дарма́ (darmá)
- Vietnamese: hoài (vi)
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Adjective
in vain (comparative more in vain, superlative most in vain)
- (idiomatic) Unsuccessful, failed.
- Their efforts were in vain and he succumbed to his injuries.
2012, N.H. Pijls, Maximal Myocardial Perfusion as a Measure of the Functional Significance of Coronary Artery Disease:The problems concerning contrast induced hyperemia and the in vain efforts to search for a contrast agent not influencing flow […]
Translations
References
- “in vain”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.