having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.-destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain attempt.-proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason; conceited; puffed up; inflated.-showy; ostentatious.-vanity; emptiness; -- now used only in the phrase in vain.