Vain in a Sentence – 41 Real Example Sentences

Definition of Vain

vain (noun) - to no purpose; without effect; ineffectually

How can vain be used in a sentence?

As with sententious lips to set a title vain on it;
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He had written in vain, which is not pleasant to know.
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Indeed, to labour in vain is heartless and discouraging.
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"Sorter what th 'feller calls vain regrets," suggested McGuffey.
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I am heaping up words in vain, which is a thing outside my habits.
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"If, as it must be, what I have said, 'in vain,' is really the fact"
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No; in vain is salvation hoped for from hills and mountains, Jer. iii.
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But they are all in vain, that is, all of them insufficient for this great purpose.
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Nor can this be called a vain curiosity, since I seem so much interested in this affair.
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She had heard her lofty, self-sacrificing purpose virtually characterized as vain and wrong.
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For people that claim to know God I hope you know that taking the name of God in vain is sin.
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Try, in vain, to make yourself sound smart while mostly repeating stuff you've heard elsewhere.
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So quoting the taking of the Lord's name in vain is okay in movie reviews, but hell is off-limits.
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More, Israel, with our help, has the weapons of mass destruction for which Bush looked in vain in Iraq.
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23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the
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The most part of our conversation, if it be not profane, yet it is vain, that is, unprofitable in the world.
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Apparently the Daniel Davies who tried in vain to save us from financial apocalypse is Daniel Davies the blogger.
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Tiny Smurfs scatter and run in vain from the whistling bombs, before being felled by blast waves and fiery explosions.
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"A person," cried Isabella, "can't, surely, be vain -- what we, in English, call vain -- of _not_ remembering any thing."
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Perhaps that was just what people should do, all the stressed-out people who were trying in vain to make their lives work.
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They had called her vain, idle and silly; they said the folks at the big house had spoiled her and put notions into her head.
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He discovered it (v. 18); He perceived their wickedness; for, surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird, Prov. i.
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Jesus shall come to effect, by His presence (Isa 11: 4; Da 7: 17), that which in vain is looked for, in His absence, by other means.
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God's words are here called vain words; and those that called them to the best and most needful business are accused of making them idle.
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The second commandment is this, that thou shalt not take the name of God in vain, that is to say, thou shalt not swear by him for nothing.
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Jim blushed as he recalled the vain dreams of six mouths before, and naturally felt some embarrassment at the prospect of meeting such exalted personages.
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He can see through the most politic disguises, and so break through the most dangerous snare; for surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird.
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That is, your early rising, your labour and worldly solicitude, will be vain, that is, will avail you nothing, without the light, grace, and blessing of God.
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Parisians; and still fewer no matter what their birthplace, the men whom we call vain -- the men who over-much covet distinction, and over-much dread reproach.
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If then what we say of ourselves be true, and not prejudicial to others, to be called vain upon it is no more a Reproach than to be called a brown or a fair Man.
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Um, I'm not exactly what you'd call vain, but I kind of check on little details like what kind of socks I'm wearing before going out to a party, much less a court appearance.
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The ISP warned the owners, shut 'em down temporarilly, the owners tried in vain to stop the customer or customers who were abusing the trust, and they were eventually shut down.
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If we do not use, we lose, what we have; From him that hath not, that doeth no good with what he hath, and so hath it in vain, is as if he had it not, shall be taken even that which he hath.
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Upon this, the angry Earl, who had been already deprived of many offices, thought himself in danger of complete ruin, and turned against the Queen, whom he called a vain old woman who had grown as crooked in her mind as she had in her figure.
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Why all wanderings and distraction in prayer, or hearing the word of God; all useless, trifling, and impertinent thoughts, that do not belong to, nor further the work I am about, the grand affair of my salvation, may properly be called vain thoughts.
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But in vain is salvation hoped for from them: The wind shall carry them all away, the wind of God's wrath, that breath of his mouth which shall slay the wicked; they have made themselves as chaff, and therefore the wind will of course hurry them away.
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And in vain is it to profess Christianity, or our faith in Christ, if we deny the resurrection; for this must imply and involve the denial of his resurrection; and, take away this, you make nothing of Christianity, you leave nothing for faith or hope to fix upon.
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But for the sons and daughters of that class after the age of eighteen to continue to sip English literature through a straw, is a habit that seems to deserve the terms vain and vicious; which terms can justly be applied with greater force to those who pander to them.
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If well, it produceth fear to attempt any thing rashly; if ill, it may be called vain fear, as the contrary is vain glory, and consisteth in fear of the power, without any other sign of the act to follow, as children fear to go in the dark, upon imagination of spirits, and fear all strangers as enemies.
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The same unwise and hopeless mode of life, which we have been describing this evening by one symbolic illustration, as calling vain helpers to our aid, was presented by Ahaz's great contemporary Isaiah, in words which Ahaz himself may have heard, as 'striking a covenant with death, and making lies our refuge.'
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For in fact, "said he to himself," my pride is not of the artless and overweening kind, elated, audacious, boldly displaying, and proclaiming itself to the world; no, mine is in a latent state, what was called vain-glory in the simplicity of the Middle Ages, an essence of pride diluted with vanity and evaporating within me in transient thoughts and unexpressed conceit.
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Tips for Using vain in a Sentence

You may have an easier time writing sentences with vain if you know what words are likely to come before or after it, or simply what words are often found in the same sentence.

Frequent Predecessors

Words that often come before vain in sentences. For example: "in vain" or "a vain"

in
a
the
and
is
be
was
of
are
were

Frequent Successors

Words that often come after vain in sentences. For example: "vain ." or "vain to"

.
to
for
and
that
attempt
did
the
hope
in

Associated Words

Words that aren't necessarily predecessors or successors, but are often found in the same sentence.

arrogant
selfish
persuade
convince
attempt
hope
glory
save
mirror
attempts

Alternate Definitions

vain (noun) - to use the name of god with levity or profaneness
vain (adjective) - having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying
vain (adjective) - destitute of force or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual
vain (adjective) - proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason; conceited; puffed up; inflated
vain (adjective) - showy; ostentatious