The most common vanity meaning is having too high an opinion of your own looks, abilities or importance. If someone checks their reflection in every shop window, or fishes for compliments after every post, people may call it vanity.
But the word also has an older sense, emptiness or pointlessness, which is the one used in many English Bibles. And in a home, a vanity is a piece of furniture. Here is how all three fit together.
Entry at a glance
What does vanity mean? Three senses
- Too much pride in yourself. This is the everyday sense: caring too much about your looks, status or talents, and wanting others to admire them. "Her vanity would not let her wear glasses in public."
- Emptiness or futility. Something done in vanity is done for nothing, with no lasting worth. This older sense lives on in religious and literary writing.
- A piece of furniture. A dressing table with a mirror, or a bathroom cabinet with a sink on top. In the US, "bathroom vanity" is a normal home improvement term.
The first two share a root idea: something puffed up but hollow inside.
Vanity meaning in the Bible
If you have wondered what does vanity mean in the Bible, the answer starts with the book of Ecclesiastes, which opens in older English translations with the line "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Here the word does not mean pride in your looks. It translates the Hebrew word hevel, which literally means breath or vapor.
The writer's point is that much of human striving, such as wealth, work and fame, is fleeting, like breath on a cold day. Some modern translations use words like meaningless, futile or a vapor instead of vanity. Elsewhere in the Bible, vanity can also describe worthless things or false idols. Scripture and worship words are grouped under faith and belief.
Examples of vanity in everyday use
- Out of pure vanity, he refused to admit he needed reading glasses.
- She bought a new walnut vanity for the guest bathroom.
- All their careful planning proved to be in vanity when the event was cancelled.
- The founder's vanity made it hard for him to hear criticism from his own team.
Set phrases built on vanity
- Vanity project: work done mainly to feed someone's ego rather than for real value.
- Vanity plate: a car number plate with letters chosen by the owner, common in the US.
- Vanity press: a publisher that charges authors to print their books.
- Vanity metrics: business numbers that look impressive but do not show real progress, such as raw page views.
- Vanity sizing: labelling clothes with smaller sizes than they really are, to flatter shoppers.
Vanity, pride, ego and hubris
| Word | Focus |
|---|---|
| Vanity | Wanting admiration, often for looks or image |
| Pride | Satisfaction in yourself; can be healthy or excessive |
| Ego | Your sense of self and self-importance |
| Hubris | Dangerous overconfidence that leads to a fall |
Pride can be good ("pride in your work"). Vanity almost never is. Hubris is bigger and riskier; vanity is often small and personal, like fussing over hair.
Roots of vanity in Latin
English borrowed vanity in the medieval period from Old French vanite, from Latin vanitas, meaning emptiness. That noun comes from vanus, empty, the same root behind vain. So the oldest idea is hollowness. The sense of conceit grew from it: a vain person is full of themselves, yet the admiration they seek has little substance.
Vanity definition: how to use the word
To define vanity for a learner, a short definition of vanity is "too much interest in being admired." As a quality, it is uncountable: "a lot of vanity," "a touch of vanity." As furniture, it is countable: "two vanities," "a double vanity." The phrase in vanity (meaning in vain) sounds old fashioned; today people say in vain. Be careful with tone: calling someone's choice vanity is a criticism, so it can sting.
Frequently asked questions
Is vanity a sin?
In Christian teaching, vanity is linked to pride, which is traditionally listed among the seven deadly sins. Other traditions also warn against self-importance. Whether a small amount of care about appearance counts as vanity is a matter of judgment.
What is the difference between vain and vanity?
Vain is the adjective and vanity is the noun. A vain person shows vanity. Vain also has the sense of useless, as in a vain attempt, which matches the older meaning of vanity.
Why is a bathroom cabinet called a vanity?
The name comes from the vanity table, a dressing table where people sat to do their hair and makeup in front of a mirror. Bathroom cabinets with a sink and mirror took over the name because they serve a similar grooming purpose.
What does vanity of vanities mean?
It is an older English rendering of a Hebrew phrase in Ecclesiastes meaning something like utter emptiness. It is a way of saying that much of what people chase is fleeting and has no lasting worth.
Is a little vanity always bad?
Not necessarily. Many people see wanting to look neat or presentable as normal self-respect. The word vanity usually points to excess, when the need for admiration starts to shape choices or hurt others.
How do you pronounce vanity?
Say VAN-uh-tee, stressing the first syllable. The plural vanities is VAN-uh-teez.