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vainly

Adverb
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

Done without success, purpose, or result; an adverb expressing futile effort or unrequited devotion in tragic poetry.

Detailed Definition
This adverb means that an action had no effective result. In the poem, it emphasizes that the work was done without achieving its intended purpose.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And it was vainly done—” (Hardy); He vainly tried to net the wind with his hands; The bells rang vainly through the evacuated town; “Vainly” means unsuccessfully or to no purpose; It may also hint at vanity, as when a speaker vainly seeks praise
Additional Notes
The word vainly in the quoted line is somewhat literary and less everyday than unsuccessfully, so readers may need to look it up.; Found in the poem, Vos Non Vobis by Edith M. Thomas
Also Known As
futilely fruitlessly pointlessly in vain
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