in vain

Idioms and Phrases

To no avail, useless, as in All our work was in vain . [c. 1300] Also see take someone's name in vain .

Example Sentences

The play, which centers on two ragtag characters waiting in vain for a man named Godot, delivers some of 20th century theater’s most closely parsed lines.

From Los Angeles Times

“Naturally, you are waiting to see a moment where your character has their gear change,” says Lynch, and she didn’t wait in vain.

From Los Angeles Times

In August, Baroness Grey-Thompson was forced to "crawl off" a train arriving at London's King's Cross after waiting in vain for assistance for 20 minutes.

From BBC

Over the past year in Turkey, I’ve tried in vain to create a peaceful living environment for my family.

From BBC

One father said he found many parents waiting in vain for the gates to open.

From BBC

Related Words

• fruitless
• hollow
• impractical
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• insufficient
• trivial
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain
• worthless