vainly

adverb (vainly)

«vainly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

Without success; in vain: he tried vainly to open the door. tree →
(less common) In a vain, proud way about your looks or abilities. tree →

In the lessons

Used in stories about efforts that fail: Alice tries vainly to reach the key on the glass table. Common phrase: «in vain» (= with no result). In The Wind in the Willows Mole searches vainly for the path in the Wild Wood.

Examples

Alice tried vainly to reach the golden key. tree →
He searched vainly for his lost glove. tree →
Mole looked vainly for a way out of the wood. tree →
The cat jumped vainly at the bird. tree →
They waited vainly for the bus. tree →
She vainly admired herself in every mirror. tree →
Vainly they tried to imagine what death could be like. tree →

Note

From «vain», which has two meanings: «useless» (in vain) and «too proud of your looks». Homophones: vain, vein (a blood tube), vane (a weathervane).

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «vainly» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«vainly» in the school dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/vainly/