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. See vanity unit
   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

As the high prices indicate, expect these first electric trucks to serve primarily as vanity vehicles for people who own more than one car.

From Outside Online

Live streams are among the few remaining platforms that don’t push curation and vanity but rather thrive on the opposite—authenticity.

From Fortune

The Home Depot listing says this vanity is made of particleboard with a front of natural wood, but there aren’t any details about what kind of paint and primer the manufacturer used.

From Washington Post

Follower counts are more than just a vanity metric when it comes to influencer marketing.

From Search Engine Land

You’ll finally be able to find the bottom of your vanity and maybe even locate that one earring you lost two years ago.

From Popular-Science

Vicky Ward was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair for 11 years.

From The Daily Beast

In a hot-button cover story interview with Vanity Fair, Lawrence explained it best.

From The Daily Beast

The book, surprisingly, is not the self-aggrandizing vanity trip of a preening pop star one would expect.

From The Daily Beast

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Diez said he married the duchess for love, not money.

From The Daily Beast

“What The Little Mermaid Taught Us About Being Grown-Ups,” Vanity Fair commemorated in a GIF-laden post.

From The Daily Beast

Greater mischiefs happen often from folly, meanness, and vanity than from the greater sins of avarice and ambition.

From Project Gutenberg

I, therefore, deliver it as a maxim, that whoever desires the character of a proud man ought to conceal his vanity.

From Project Gutenberg

If I am proof against my own heart, in so dear a cause, shall I not be proof against the poor allurements of vanity and sense?

From Project Gutenberg

She was as incapable of jealousy as of aching vanity in the fact of a son whom the world was never permitted to forget.

From Project Gutenberg

Her youthful vanity had its way in a mind too speculative, intelligent, observant, merely to be shocked.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• arrogance
• pride

More About Vanity

What does vanity mean?

Vanity is the excessive pride in oneself, usually related to appearance or accomplishments, as in Simon’s vanity wouldn’t let him purchase a more practical car.

Vanity can also refer to something a person is overly proud of, as in Lars’ only real vanity was his singing ability.

Vanity can also refer to an area with a mirror where you would groom yourself, like a dressing table or a counter and sink. A vanity can also be a place for storing grooming products, such as a shelf, cupboard, or case.

Example: That museum of vanity that he calls a house is just full of his own artwork and paintings.

Where does vanity come from?

The first records of the term vanity come from the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Latin vānitās, which combines vān, meaning “vain,” and the Latin suffix –itās, which creates nouns that describe a condition, state, or quality.

Vanity is often considered a negative thing because someone who is vain does not often recognize their faults or focuses too much on things that aren’t considered to have lasting or serious value, such as money and beauty. Most uses of vanity are related to this idea.

The furniture or storage sense of vanity is not considered to be a negative, however. Taking care of your appearance is generally considered a good thing, as long as it’s balanced with caring about the kind of person you are and how you treat others.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to vanity?

• vanitied (adjective)

What are some synonyms for vanity?

• arrogance
• conceit
• egotism
• dressing table

What are some words that share a root or word element with vanity? 

• vain
• vanity case
• Vanity Fair

What are some words that often get used in discussing vanity?

• bathroom
• makeup
• narcissistic
• pride
• self

How is vanity used in real life?

Vanity is normally used by people who are criticizing someone’s actions or appearance.

DON’T CROSS ME OR I WILL START A BAND AND WE WILL PLAY YOUR LEAST FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC AND BECOME HUGE AND THE NAME OF THE BAND WILL BE YOUR CAR’S LICENSE PLATE NUMBER AND YOU WILL LOOK LIKE YOU GOT A VANITY PLATE WITH OUR BAND’S NAME ON IT OH MY GOD YOU WILL FEEL SO STUPID 😎

— Ted Travelstead (@trumpetcake) October 18, 2019

Vanity not only distances us from God: it makes us look ridiculous.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 31, 2015

Can’t wait for Instagram to get rid of likes. Hoping it leads to the elimination of public vanity metrics.

Really believe it will lead to an explosion of creativity and truth

— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) September 12, 2019

Try using vanity!

Is vanity used correctly in the following sentence?

Michael’s vanity is his intelligence, which he shows off by explaining ordinary things in great detail.