vain

adj.

1. 徒劳的；枉然的；无结果的
   that does not produce the result you want
   1. She closed her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to hold back the tears.
      她紧闭双眼，却无法忍住眼泪。
   2. I knocked loudly in the vain hope that someone might answer.
      我敲门敲得很响，希望有人应声，却是徒然。
2. 自负的；自视过高的
   too proud of your own appearance, abilities or achievements
   1. She's too vain to wear glasses.
      她太爱虚荣，不肯戴眼镜。

1. ADJ 徒劳的;无效的;不成功的
   A vain attempt or action is one that fails to achieve what was intended.
   1. The drafting committee worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule...
      起草委员会为按计划完成草案已通宵加班，但结果仍是徒劳。
   2. I was singing in a vain effort to cheer him up.
      我唱歌试图让他高兴起来，结果是白费力气。
2. ADJ 徒然的;无望的
   If you describe a hope that something will happen as a vain hope, you mean that there is no chance of it happening.
   1. He married his fourth wife, Susan, in the vain hope that she would improve his health.
      他娶了第四个老婆苏珊，徒然希望她能使他健康状况好转。
3. ADJ-GRADED 自负的;虚荣的;自命不凡的
   If you describe someone as vain, you are critical of their extreme pride in their own beauty, intelligence, or other good qualities.
   1. I think he is shallow, vain and untrustworthy.
      我认为他浅薄虚荣，不可信任。
4. PHRASE 徒劳;白费力气
   If you do something in vain, you do not succeed in achieving what you intend.
   1. He stopped at the door, waiting in vain for her to acknowledge his presence...
      他在门口停住，徒然地等待她和自己打招呼。
   2. It became obvious that all her complaints were in vain.
      很明显她所有的抱怨都是白费口舌。
5. PHRASE 无用的;无意义的;无价值的
   If you say that something such as someone's death, suffering, or effort was in vain, you mean that it was useless because it did not achieve anything.
   1. He wants the world to know his son did not die in vain.
      他想让全世界都知道，他的儿子不是白白死去的。

1. He tried in vain to keep the two dogs apart before the neighbour intervened.
   邻居过来帮忙前，他费了半天劲儿也没把两只狗分开。
2. He was vain and bombastic.
   他自负虚荣，大话连篇。
3. I am not a vain creature
   我不是个爱慕虚荣的人。
4. Isabelle was a frivolous little fool, vain and flighty.
   伊莎贝尔是个轻佻、没头脑的小女人，非常虚荣又反复无常。
5. Throughout the Twenties, Lardner tried in vain to write a hit song, so at last he turned to parody.
   整个20年代，拉德纳尝试着想要写出一首走红歌曲，可是都失败了，于是最后转向戏仿他人的作品。
6. He is still vain enough to dye his hair red.
   他还是很虚荣，把头发染成了红褐色。
7. Parents campaigned in vain for her reinstatement.
   父母们呼吁给她复职，但结果却只是徒劳。
8. She and a neighbour tried in vain to revive him
   她和邻居想尽一切办法都没能让他苏醒过来。
9. A seemingly endless line of trucks waits in vain to load up.
   一眼望不到头的一长列卡车眼巴巴地等着装货。
10. He was self-important, vain and ignorant.
    他傲慢自负，虚荣无知。
11. I think he is shallow, vain and untrustworthy
    我认为他肤浅、自负、不可靠。
12. It was a vain attempt to shift the responsibility for the murder to somebody else
    试图将谋杀的罪责转嫁给他人是徒劳的。
13. The drafting committee worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule
    起草委员会为按计划完成草案已通宵加班，但结果仍是徒劳。
14. I was singing in a vain effort to cheer him up.
    我唱歌试图让他高兴起来，结果是白费力气。
15. He married his fourth wife, Susan, in the vain hope that she would improve his health.
    他娶了第四个老婆苏珊，徒然希望她能使他健康状况好转。
16. He stopped at the door, waiting in vain for her to acknowledge his presence
    他在门口停住，徒然地等待她和自己打招呼。
17. It became obvious that all her complaints were in vain.
    很明显她所有的抱怨都是白费口舌。
18. He wants the world to know his son did not die in vain.
    他想让全世界都知道，他的儿子不是白白死去的。
19. All efforts of mediation by a third party were in vain at all.
    第三方所作的从中调解的一切努力均告失败。
20. Their hopes were but vain.
    他们的希望只不过是妄想。
21. My efforts were not in vain.
    我的气力没有白费。
22. Our efforts were not in vain.
    我们没有白忙。
23. Our efforts were not in vain.; We didn't waste our energy.
    我们的力气没有白费。
24. I read his article again and again, trying hard to understand what he was driving at but in vain.
    我把他的文章读了一遍又一遍，但对他的意图仍百思不解。
25. He's a vain person.
    他的虚荣心很强。
26. Their blood was not shed in vain.
    他们的血没有白流。
27. It's no use for you to wait here in vain.
    你死耗在这儿没用。
28. 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。
29. He's very vain of his abilities.
    他对于自己的能力很自负。
30. He cried her name in vain.
    他徒劳地叫着她的名字。

  vain abortive fruitless ineffective【导航词义：未能达到目的的】

  vain adj. 徒劳的，无结果的

〔辨析〕指努力、希望、搜寻等未能获得想要的结果的。

  abortive adj. 失败的，夭折的

〔辨析〕指行动、计划等没有成功的。

  fruitless adj. 无结果的，无效果的

〔辨析〕尤指付出很多努力却无成效的。

  ineffective adj. 无效果的，不起作用的

〔辨析〕侧重指人或事物未能发挥应有之作用的。

adj.

in vain

• 枉费心机；徒劳无益；白费力气
  without success
  1. They tried in vain to persuade her to go.
     他们极力劝说她去，但枉费了一番口舌。
  2. All our efforts were in vain.
     我们的所有努力都付诸东流了。

take sb's name in vain

• 滥用…的名义；亵渎…的名字
  to show a lack of respect when using sb's name
  1. Have you been taking my name in vain again?
     你又在滥用我的名义吧？

adj

1. unproductive of success
   1. a fruitless search
   2. futile years after her artistic peak
   3. a sleeveless errand
   4. a vain attempt

   Synonym:    bootlessfruitlessfutilesleeveless

2. characteristic of false pride
   1. a conceited fool
   2. an attitude of self-conceited arrogance
   3. an egotistical disregard of others
   4. so swollen by victory that he was unfit for normal duty
   5. growing ever more swollen-headed and arbitrary
   6. vain about her clothes

   Synonym:    conceitedegotisticegotisticalself-conceitedswollenswollen-headed