vanities

Noun

vanity (countable and uncountable, plural vanities)

1. That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value, use or profit.
   • Then I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me and why then was I more wise? Then I said in my heart that this is also vanity. / For there is no more remembrance of the wise than the fool forever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten....1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiastes 2:15–16
2. Excessive pride in or admiration of one's own abilities, appearance, achievements, or possessions.
   • To make a man in love with you gives an instant hold on his vanity; and with that, you can do any thing. Vanity is the real lever with which Archimedes said he could move the earth; so, try what you can effect with Sir Robert.1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A Project”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 224
3. A dressing table used to apply makeup, preen, and coif hair, in which the table is normally quite low and similar to a desk.
   • She was sitting in front of her vanity, brushing out her hair.2020, Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half, Dialogue Books, page 148
4. A washbasin installed into a permanently fixed storage unit, used as an item of bathroom furniture.
5. (obsolete) Any idea, theory or statement that is without foundation.
   • It is a vanity to say that if two stones are dropped from a tower, the heavier will experience the greater acceleration.

See all 6 meanings of vanity