vainglory
vain·glo·ry[ˈveɪnˌɡlɔɚ.i]noun, verb
vainglory is spelled V-A-I-N-G-L-O-R-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables (vain·glo·ry). It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vainglory means “Excessive vanity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vainglory is vainglories.
How many letters and syllables are in vainglory?
| Letters | 9: V-A-I-N-G-L-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: vain·glo·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 84,254th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is vainglory?
Vainglory appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vainglory?
- UK [veɪnˈɡlɔː.ɹi]
- US [ˈveɪnˌɡlɔɚ.i]
Vainglory has 3 syllables, split vain·glo·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-vainglory.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vainglory
- vainglories plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- vainglorying participle, present
- vaingloried participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vainglory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Excessive vanity.
- 2
Boastful, unwarranted pride in one's accomplishments or qualities.
- 3
Vain, ostentatious display.
- 4
A regarding of oneself with undue favor.
verb
- 1
To boast; to act in a vain manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vainglory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Eitelkeit , Prahlerei, Ruhmsucht |
| Portuguese | vanglória |
| Spanish | vanagloria , jactancia |
| French | gloriole , vaine gloire |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vainglory come from?
From Middle English waynglori (“worthless glory”), from Old French vaine glorie, from Medieval Latin vāna glōria, from Latin vāna (“empty, groundless, boastful”) + glōria (“fame, ambition, boasting”), apparently modelled after similar terms in Germanic languages. Compare Old English īdel wuldor (“vain glory”) and īdelġielp (“vainglory”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).