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vaingloriousness

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

vaingloriousness: Excessive, ostentatious pride in one's own achievements, abilities, or appearance, a quality of being vain and boastful, often critiqued in poetry as a moral failing.

Detailed Definition
The word combines “vain” with “glory” to describe boastful self-importance. Hardy gives this abstract quality to the Titanic’s grand human construction, which appears absurdly insignificant beneath the sea.
Example
Example in poetry:
Yeats, “The Indian upon God,” asks, “What does this vaingloriousness down here?” mocking ornate human display; “The mayor’s vaingloriousness filled the plaza with banners bearing his name” makes the noun mean boastful self-display; Milton’s Satan can be read as a figure of vainglorious ambition, elevating pride above humility; In satire, vaingloriousness often appears through inflated titles, gilded objects, or grand claims exposed by plain reality
Additional Notes
“Vaingloriousness” is a rare formal noun, and the quoted question uses it for exaggerated human pride.; Found in the poem, The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy
Also Known As
vanity boastfulness pridefulness hubris
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