# vainly

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈveɪnli/ · frequency rank #62,600

## Definitions
1. In a vain pursuit; to no avail.
2. With a vain attitude; in a self-approving manner.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English vaynly, veynly, vaynely, veynely, equivalent to vain + -ly.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/vainly