Vanity

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: van=i=ty

CIDE DICTIONARY

Vanity, n. [OE. vanite, F. vanité, L. vanitas, fr. vanus empty, vain. See Vain.].

•  The quality or state of being vain; want of substance to satisfy desire; emptiness; unsubstantialness; unrealness; falsity.  [1913 Webster]

  "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."  [1913 Webster]

  "Here I may well show the vanity of that which is reported in the story of Walsingham."  [1913 Webster]
•  An inflation of mind upon slight grounds; empty pride inspired by an overweening conceit of one's personal attainments or decorations; an excessive desire for notice or approval; pride; ostentation; conceit.  [1913 Webster]

  "The exquisitely sensitive vanity of Garrick was galled."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is vain; anything empty, visionary, unreal, or unsubstantial; fruitless desire or effort; trifling labor productive of no good; empty pleasure; vain pursuit; idle show; unsubstantial enjoyment.  [1913 Webster]

  "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher."  [1913 Webster]

  "Vanity possesseth many who are desirous to know the certainty of things to come."  [1913 Webster]

  "[Sin] with vanity had filled the works of men."  [1913 Webster]

  "Think not, when woman's transient breath is fled,
  That all her vanities at once are dead;
  Succeeding vanities she still regards."  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the established characters in the old moralities and puppet shows. See Morality, n., 5.  [1913 Webster]

  "You . . . take vanity the puppet's part."  [1913 Webster]
•  same as dressing table.  [PJC]
•  A cabinet built around a bathroom sink, usually with a countertop and sometimes drawers.  [PJC]

Syn. -- Egotism; pride; emptiness; worthlessness; self-sufficiency. See Egotism, and Pride.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Vanity, n. (pl. -ies)
1 conceit and desire for admiration of one's personal attainments or attractions.
2 a futility or unsubstantiality (the vanity of human achievement). b an unreal thing.
3 ostentatious display.
4 US a dressing-table.

Idiom

vanity bag (or case) a bag or case carried by a woman and containing a small mirror, make-up, etc. Vanity Fair the world (allegorized in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress) as a scene of vanity. vanity unit a unit consisting of a wash-basin set into a flat top with cupboards beneath.

Etymology

ME f. OF vanit{eacute} f. L vanitas -tatis (as VAIN)

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Vanity

n. The tribute of a fool to the worth of the nearest ass.

They say that hens do cackle loudest when
There's nothing vital in the eggs they've laid;
And there are hens, professing to have made
A study of mankind, who say that men
Whose business 'tis to drive the tongue or pen
Make the most clamorous fanfaronade
O'er their most worthless work; and I'm afraid
They're not entirely different from the hen.
Lo! the drum-major in his coat of gold,
His blazing breeches and high-towering cap --
Imperiously pompous, grandly bold,
Grim, resolute, an awe-inspiring chap!
Who'd think this gorgeous creature's only virtue
Is that in battle he will never hurt you?
Hannibal Hunsiker

THESAURUS

Vanity

absurdity, aimlessness, amour propre, arrogance, autotheism, big deal, bluster, boast, boastfulness, boasting, bombast, bootlessness, brag, braggadocio, braggartism, bragging, bravado, cockiness, conceit, conceitedness, egotism, emptiness, face, fanfaronade, fatuity, fecklessness, flimsiness, folly, foolishness, frivolity, frivolousness, fruitlessness, futility, gasconade, gasconism, haughtiness, heroics, hollowness, idleness, impotence, inanity, independence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, inefficacy, jactation, jactitation, levity, lightness, meaninglessness, narcissism, nugacity, otiosity, pardonable pride, pointlessness, pride, pridefulness, profitlessness, proudness, purposelessness, purse-pride, rat race, rodomontade, self-admiration, self-conceit, self-confidence, self-consequence, self-esteem, self-importance, self-love, self-reliance, self-respect, self-sufficiency, self-worship, shallowness, side, silliness, slenderness, slightness, stiff-necked pride, stiff-neckedness, superficiality, swagger, the absurd, triflingness, triteness, triviality, trivialness, unproductiveness, unprofitability, unprofitableness, unreality, uselessness, vacuity, vacuousness, vainglory, vainness, valuelessness, vapidity, vaunt, vauntery, vaunting, vicious circle, worthlessness

ROGET THESAURUS

Vanity

Unimportance

N unimportance, insignificance, nothingness, immateriality, triviality, levity, frivolity, paltriness, poverty, smallness, vanity, matter of indifference, no object, nothing, nothing to signify, nothing worth speaking of, nothing particular, nothing to boast of, nothing to speak of, small matter, no great matter, trifling matter, mere joke, mere nothing, hardly anything, scarcely anything, nonentity, small beer, cipher, no great shakes, peu de chose, child's play, kinderspiel, toy, plaything, popgun, paper pellet, gimcrack, gewgaw, bauble, trinket, bagatelle, Rickshaw, knickknack, whim-wham, trifle, trifles light as air, yankee notions, trumpery, trash, rubbish, stuff, fatras, frippery, leather or prunello, chaff, drug, froth bubble smoke, cobweb, weed, refuse, scum, joke, jest, snap of the fingers, fudge, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end, pack of nonsense, mere farce, straw, pin, fig, button, rush, bulrush, feather, halfpenny, farthing, brass farthing, doit, peppercorn, jot, rap, pinch of snuff, old son, cent, mill, picayune, pistareen, red cent, minutiae, details, minor details, small fry, dust in the balance, feather in the scale, drop in the ocean, flea-bite, molehill, nine days' wonder, ridiculus mus, flash in the pan, much ado about nothing, unimportant, of little account, of small account, of no account, of little importance, of no importance, immaterial, unessential, nonessential, indifferent, subordinate, mediocre, passable, fair, respectable, tolerable, commonplace, uneventful, mere, common, ordinary, inconsiderable, so-so, insignificant, inappreciable, trifling, trivial, slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle, puerile, airy, shallow, weak, powerless, frivolous, petty, niggling, piddling, peddling, fribble, inane, ridiculous, farcical, finical, finikin, fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle, namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water, poor, paltry, pitiful, contemptible, sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, niggardly, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery, one- horse, not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw, beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration, de lana caprina, vain, slightly, rather, somewhat, pretty well, tolerably, for aught one cares, Int, no matter!, pish!, tush!, tut!, pshaw!, pugh!, pooh, pooh-pooh!, fudge!, bosh!, humbug!, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end!, fiddlededee!, never mind!, n'importe!, what signifies it, what boots it, what of it, what of that, what matter, what's the odds, a fig for', stuff!, nonsense!, stuff and nonsense, magno conatu magnas nugas, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, it matters not, it does not signify, it is of no consequence, it is of no importance, elephantus non capit murem, tempete dans un verre d'eau.

Inutility

N inutility, uselessness, inefficacy, futility, ineptitude, inaptitude, unsubservience, inadequacy, inefficiency, unskillfulness, disservice, unfruitfulness (unproductiveness), labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus, lost trouble, lost labor, work of Penelope, sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce, tautology, supererogation, vanitas vanitatum, vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity, triviality, caput mortuum, waste paper, dead letter, blunt tool, litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes, button top, shoddy, rags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritus, stubble, leavings, broken meat, dregs, weeds, tares, rubbish heap, dust hole, rudera, deads, fruges consumere natus, useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless, inoperative, inadequate, inservient, unsubservient, inept, inefficient, of no avail, ineffectual, incompetent, stale, flat and unprofitable, superfluous, dispensable, thrown away, abortive, worthless, valueless, priceless, unsalable, not worth a straw, dear at any price, vain, empty, inane, gainless, profitless, fruitless, unserviceable, unprofitable, ill-spent, unproductive, hors de combat, effete, past work, obsolete, fit for the dust hole, good for nothing, of no earthly use, not worth having, not worth powder and shot, leading to no end, uncalled for, unnecessary, unneeded, uselessly, to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose, Int, cui bono?, what's the good!, actum ne agas, chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin, tanto buon che val niente.

Vanity

N vanity, conceit, conceitedness, self-conceit, self- complacency, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-esteem, self-love, self-approbation, self-praise, self-glorification, self-laudation, self-gratulation, self-applause, self-admiration, amour propre, selfishness, airs, affected manner, pretensions, mannerism, egotism, priggism, priggishness, coxcombry, gaudery, vainglory, elation, pride, ostentation, assurance, vox et praeterea nihil, cheval de bataille, coxcomb, Sir Oracle, vain, vain as a peacock, proud as a peacock, conceited, overweening, pert, forward, vainglorious, high-flown, ostentatious, puffed up, inflated, flushed, self-satisfied, self-confident, self-sufficient, self-flattering, self-admiring, self-applauding, self-glorious, self-opinionated, entente, wise in one's own conceit, pragmatical, overwise, pretentious, priggish, egotistic, egotistical, soi-disant, arrogant, unabashed, unblushing, unconstrained, unceremonious, free and easy, vainly, how we apples swim!, prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk.

Boasting

N boasting, boast, vaunt, crake, pretense, pretensions, puff, puffery, flourish, fanfaronade, gasconade, blague, bluff, gas, highfalutin, highfaluting, hot air, spread-eagleism, brag, braggardism, bravado, bunkum, buncombe, jactitation, jactancy, bounce, venditation, vaporing, rodomontade, bombast, fine talking, tall talk, magniloquence, teratology, heroics, Chauvinism, exaggeration, vanity, vox et praeterea nihil, much cry and little wool, brutum fulmen, exultation, gloriation, glorification, flourish of trumpets, triumph, boaster, braggart, braggadocio, Gascon, fanfaron, pretender, soi-disant, blower, bluffer, Foxy Quiller, blusterer, charlatan, jack-pudding, trumpeter, puppy, boasting, magniloquent, flaming, Thrasonic, stilted, gasconading, braggart, boastful, pretentious, soi-disant, vainglorious, highfalutin, highfaluting, spread- eagle, elate, elated, jubilant, triumphant, exultant, in high feather, flushed, flushed with victory, cock-a-hoop, on stilts, vaunted, vauntingly, let the galled jade wince, facta non verba.

Overestimation

N overestimation, exaggeration, vanity, optimism, pessimism, pessimist, much cry and little wool, much ado about nothing, storm in a teacup, tempest in a teacup, fine talking, overestimated, oversensitive, all his geese are swans, parturiunt montes.