vanity

Noun

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...
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...
   • Try to second guess what people see / All the time it's just your vanity / No one's impressed and you wonder why / Well it is, it shows in the eyes - 1981, Ashford & Simpson, “It Shows In the Eyes”, in Performance:
   • Social media hasn’t just weaponized our vanity—it’s transformed us from humans into curated digital performances. Our phones have become portable propaganda machines for our personal brands. - 2024 November 29, Joshua...
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. 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.
   • To help the matter, the alchemists call in likewise many vanities out of astrology. - 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall...