Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vainly

/ˈveɪnli/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables
vain-ly
IPA
/ˈveɪnli/
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a vain pursuit; to no avail.

adv

With a vain attitude; in a self-approving manner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

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

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈveɪnli/

Inflected Forms

vainlier (comparative) more vainly (comparative) vainliest (superlative) most vainly (superlative)

Synonyms

in vain

Rhymes With

mainly plainly humanely ungainly ainley

Questions

How do you pronounce vainly?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈveɪnli/.
What does vainly mean?
In a vain pursuit; to no avail.
Where does vainly come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce vainly

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “vainly”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈveɪnli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “vainly”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “vainly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.