Antonyms for in vain
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : veyn |
| Phonetic Transcription : veɪn |
Definition of in vain
Origin :- c.1300, "devoid of real value, idle, unprofitable," from Old French vein "worthless," from Latin vanus "idle, empty," from PIE *wa-no-, from root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (cf. Old English wanian "to lessen," wan "deficient;" Old Norse vanta "to lack;" Latin vacare "to be empty," vastus "empty, waste;" Avestan va- "lack," Persian vang "empty, poor;" Sanskrit una- "deficient"). Meaning "conceited" first recorded 1690s, from earlier sense of "silly, idle, foolish" (late 14c.). Phrase in vain "to no effect" (c.1300, after Latin in vanum) preserves the original sense. Related: Vainly.
- As in unavailing : adj futile
- As in fruitless : adj bringing no advantage, product
- As in futile : adj hopeless, pointless
Synonyms for in vain
- abortive
- barren
- bootless
- delusive
- empty
- exhausted
- forlorn
- fruitless
- futile
- gainless
- hollow
- idle
- impracticable
- impractical
- in vain
- ineffective
- ineffectual
- infertile
- insufficient
- no dice
- nugatory
- on a treadmill
- otiose
- out the window
- pointless
- profitless
- resultless
- save one's breath
- spinning one's wheels
- sterile
- to no avail
- to no effect
- to no purpose
- trifling
- trivial
- unavailable
- unavailing
- unfruitful
- unimportant
- unneeded
- unproductive
- unprofitable
- unprolific
- unreal
- unsatisfactory
- unsubstantial
- unsuccessful
- useless
- vain
- valueless
- wild goose chase
- worthless
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019