Vain can mean fruitless or excessively proud. A vein can be a blood vessel or a streak of mineral. A vane can indicate wind direction. Choose by meaning in expressions such as in vain, a vein of quartz, and weather vane.
Vain, vein, and vane in sentences
- “We searched in vain for the missing key.” The search failed. When vain describes a person, it can mean too proud of their appearance or abilities.
- “A vein of quartz ran through the rock.” Here a vein is a narrow deposit of mineral. The expression in the same vein means in a similar style or manner. A blood vessel is also a vein, as in a vein in the wrist.
- “The weather vane turned as the wind shifted.” The vane moves with the wind and indicates its direction.
Check the phrase before you spell it
Use in vain for an effort that fails. In weather vane, the second word names the moving indicator.
Try it
“We searched in ___ for the missing key near the old weather ___.”
Show the answer
Use vain for the unsuccessful search and vane for the wind indicator.
See Rain vs. Reign vs. Rein for another group of words with the same sound.
