in vain - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

If you do something in vain, you do it with no result, or to no effect. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address to make it clear that Union ... invain Ifyoudosomethinginvain,youdoitwithnoresult,ortonoeffect.AbrahamLincolndeliveredtheGettysburgAddresstomakeitclearthatUnionsoldiersdidnotdieinvain. Ifaneffortisfutile,it'sinvain.Youmightspendtimeandmoneycampaigningtobeschoolpresident,handingoutbumperstickersandhomemadecupcakes,allinvain—despiteyourhardwork,youdon'twintheelection.Whenyouwaitinvainforthephonetoring,itneverdoes.InvainismodeledaftertheLatininvanum,anditkeepstheoriginalsenseofthewordvain,"unprofitable"or"devoidofvalue." Definitionsofinvain adverb tonoavail “helookedforher invain” synonyms: vainly WordFamily Signupnow(it’sfree!) Whetheryou’reateacheroralearner,Vocabulary.comcanputyouoryourclassonthepathtosystematicvocabularyimprovement. Getstarted ForEveryone PlaytheChallenge VocabularyLists Dictionary CommonlyConfusedWords JoinaVocabularyJam TestPrep ForEducators Classroom&SiteLicense Pricing ContactSales SuccessStories TeachingResources ProfessionalDevelopment Research Help HelpArticles/FAQ How-toVideos Webinars ContactSupport PrivacyPolicy TermsofUse Leaderboards VocabularyBowl BowlLeaders Today'sLeaders WeeklyLeaders MonthlyLeaders Connect Vocabulary.comBlog News&Events Telluswhatyouthink OurStory OurMission Team/Jobs Partnerships MyAccount Login Signup MyAccount LogOut MyProfile Schools&Teachers MyClasses MySATRoadmap MyTOEFLRoadmap Assignments&Activities MyLists FindaListtoLearn... CreateaNewList... MyProgress WordsI'mLearning MyTroubleWords WordsI'veMastered MyAchievements UserAdministration UserAuthentication MyAccount Copyright©2021Vocabulary.com,Inc.,adivisionofIXLLearning•AllRightsReserved.