vain

英 [veɪn] 美 [veɪn]

• adj. 自负的；徒劳的；无效的；虚荣的

双解释义

adj. (形容词)

1. 自负的; 爱慕虚荣的

   thinking too highly of one's appearance, abilities, etc.; conceited

2. 徒劳的,无用的,无效的

   useless or futile

详尽释义

adj. 形容词

1. 自负的，自视过高的，自高自大的
2. 徒然的，徒劳的，无结果的，枉然的
3. 无益的
4. 爱虚荣的
5. 炫耀的
6. <书>空虚的
7. 无意义的，无价值的
8. 无效的，没效果的
9. 愚蠢的

n. 名词

1. 未用空间

英英释义

Adjective:

1. characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance;

   "a conceited fool"
   "an attitude of self-conceited arrogance"
   "an egotistical disregard of others"
   "so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty"
   "growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary"
   "vain about her clothes"
   

2. unproductive of success;

   "a fruitless search"
   "futile years after her artistic peak"
   "a sleeveless errand"
   "a vain attempt"
   

例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

1. She is vain and foolish, and yet people like her.
   她自负而愚蠢，然而人们喜欢她。
2. She is vain of her voice.
   她自以为她的声音了不起。
3. They endeavoured to make her happy but in vain.
   他们尽量使她快乐，却徒劳无功。
4. All his father's exhortations were in vain.
   他父亲的一切劝告都无效。
5. We tried in vain to make him change his mind.
   我们想使他改变主意，结果是白费心机。
6. The world had made him extravagant and vain.
   世俗使他变得放荡不羁，虚荣自负。
7. She is so vain that she can't pass a mirror without looking into it.
   她好爱虚荣,每经过一面镜子都要照一下。

常见句型

用作形容词 (adj.)

用作定语

～+ n.

1. She is one of those vain people who never take others' advice.
   她属于那种自负得从不听别人劝告的人。
2. I don't like a vain woman.
   我讨厌爱慕虚荣的女人。
3. He made a vain attempt to reach the drowning child.
   他试图接近那个快淹死的小孩,但没有成功。

用作表语

S+be+～

1. All my efforts were vain.
   我的一切努力都白费了。

S+be+～+ prep .-phrase

1. He's very vain of his abilities.
   他对于自己的能力很自负。

It is/was+～+to- v

1. It is vain to resist.
   抵抗是没用的。

用作宾语补足语

S+V+O+～

1. Too much praise can make a man vain.
   过度的赞扬会使人自负。

经典引文

• All literature, art, and science are vain..if they do not enable you to be glad.

  出自： J. Ruskin

• It is..vain to try to be other than we are.

  出自： D. M. Frame

• The vain attempts of feminist critics to prove there is a..'women's language'.

  出自：New York Review of Books

常用短语

用作形容词 (adj.)

in vain

无效果的,无用的fruitless or uselessIt was in vain that we tried to find his mother.我们百般设法找他的母亲,但毫无结果。

词汇搭配

用作形容词 (adj.)

～+介词

• be vain about〔of〕 为…而自负

词源解说

• ☆ 直接源自古法语的vain，意为没有价值的；最初源自拉丁语的vanus，意为空着的。

近反义词

【近义词】

• useless
• void

【反义词】

• beneficial
• effective
• useful