vanity

[ van-i-tee ]

noun

, plural van·i·ties.

1. excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit:

   Failure to be elected was a great blow to his vanity.

   Synonyms: ostentation, vainglory, complacency, egotism

   Antonyms: humility

2. an instance or display of this quality or feeling.
3. something about which one is vain or excessively proud:

   His good looks are his greatest vanity.

4. lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness:

   the vanity of a selfish life.

   Synonyms: emptiness, futility, triviality, folly, unreality, sham

5. something worthless, trivial, or pointless.
6. vanity case.
7. dressing table.
8. a wide, counterlike shelf containing a wash basin, as in the bathroom of a hotel or residence, often equipped with shelves, drawers, etc., underneath.
9. a cabinet built below or around a bathroom sink, primarily to hide exposed pipes.
10. compact ¹( def 13 ).

adjective

1. produced as a showcase for one's own talents, especially as a writer, actor, singer, or composer:

   surprisingly entertaining for a vanity production.

2. of, relating to, or issued by a vanity press:

   a spate of vanity books.

vanity

/ ˈvænɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being vain; excessive pride or conceit
2. ostentation occasioned by ambition or pride
3. an instance of being vain or something about which one is vain
4. the state or quality of being valueless, futile, or unreal
5. something that is worthless or useless
6. short for vanity unit

Other Words From

• vani·tied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanity¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English vanite from Old French vanité from Latin vānitās, equivalent to vān- ( vain ) + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanity¹

C13: from Old French vanité, from Latin vānitās emptiness, from vānus empty

Synonym Study

See pride.

Example Sentences

Asked about the incident for the latest issue of Vanity Fair, Sweeney said: "It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard - hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have - and then trying to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done."

From BBC

In a recent chat with Vanity Fair, Kidman veered away from details pertaining to her role in the A24 erotic thriller to discuss her wish list of directors and producers she has yet to work with but would like to.

From Salon

They do not often discuss their relationship, but Zendaya was asked by Vanity Fair whether it was weird acting opposite each other.

From BBC

It is a question both specific to the scene we’re discussing and, let’s be real, to the awards season in general, an overlong marathon of nonsense and vanity that ends with Oscars usually being handed out in ways that infuriate us.

From Los Angeles Times

The author and contributing editor to Vanity Fair was searching for material to add to a new edition of her Babitz biography, “Hollywood’s Eve,” but wound up sniffing out an entirely new project.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arrogance
• pride