word-vault
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A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.
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{
"term": "vain",
"partOfSpeech": "adjective",
"definitions": [
{
"senseNumber": 1,
"definition": "that does not produce the result you want",
"cefr": "c2",
"examples": [
{
"text": "She closed her eyes tightly **in a vain attempt** to hold back the tears."
},
{
"text": "I knocked loudly **in the vain hope** that someone might answer."
},
{
"text": "The government spent billions in a vain bid to prop up the currency."
}
],
"synonyms": "useless",
"topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
},
{
"senseNumber": 2,
"definition": "too proud of your own appearance, abilities or achievements",
"labels": "(disapproving)",
"cefr": "c1",
"examples": [
{
"text": "She's too vain to wear glasses."
},
{
"text": "Their flattery made him vain."
},
{
"text": "very vain about his looks"
},
{
"text": "He's so vain!"
},
{
"text": "I don't think it's vain to care about how you look."
}
],
"topics": ["Personal qualities"]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "without success",
"examples": [
{
"text": "They tried in vain to persuade her to go."
},
{
"text": "She waited in vain for her son to return."
},
{
"text": "All our efforts were in vain."
}
],
"topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "to show a lack of respect when using somebody’s name or when talking about them",
"labels": "(humorous)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "Have you been taking my name in vain again?"
},
{
"text": "to take the Lord's name in vain"
}
]
}
],
"pronunciations": {
"uk": [
{
"pronunciation": "/veɪn/",
"audio": "va/vain/vain__gb_1.mp3"
}
],
"us": [
{
"pronunciation": "/veɪn/",
"audio": "va/vain/vain__us_1.mp3"
}
]
},
"wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘without real worth’): via Old French from Latin vanus ‘empty, without substance’."
}