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

In the letter, he described how, in the wake of Miss Edwards's loss, he has tried to warn future generations of the consequences of gang culture to "make sure Elle's murder was not to be in vain".

From BBC

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

Related Words

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