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vainglory
noun
vain·glo·ry
ˈvān-ˌglȯr-ē
ˌvān-ˈglȯr-ē
1
: excessive or ostentatious pride especially in one's achievements
2
: vain display or show : vanity
Synonyms
- amour propre
- bighead
- complacence
- complacency
- conceit
- conceitedness
- ego
- egotism
- pomposity
- pompousness
- pride
- pridefulness
- self-admiration
- self-assumption
- self-conceit
- self-congratulation
- self-esteem
- self-glory
- self-importance
- self-love
- self-opinion
- self-satisfaction
- smugness
- swelled head
- swellheadedness
- vaingloriousness
- vainness
- vanity
Examples of vainglory in a Sentence
the vainglory that nations have historically shown after they have achieved military supremacy
Recent Examples on the Web
The conceit is saved from vainglory by the gravity Cage brings to the performance.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
That’s the mantra for wide receivers, a group long known for their vainglory.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023
Cuevas excels at spotlighting vainglory, and there’s plenty to go around here.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2023
More likely, the 70-year-old former cricketer’s vainglory and taste for brinkmanship could tip an already turbulent nation into chaos.
—Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022
The best reason to pursue anarchism, to walk that line between chaos and the man, is that none of us is free from greed or vainglory.
—Alan Jacobs, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
For all his vainglory, Mitchell was onto something in betting on a race as an aeronautical showcase.
—Michael O’Donnell, WSJ, 18 Nov. 2022
Behind closed doors, people are nervously voicing that the annual grandstanding on stage has shifted too much towards vainglory, rather than progress against staggering challenges.
—Charles Beames, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
Vidal gives wicked, witty renditions of the infighting, backstabbing and vainglory of such troublesome men as Gen. George B. McClellan, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase and John Wilkes Booth.
—Katherine A. Powers, Star Tribune, 6 Nov. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English vaynglorie, borrowed from Anglo-French veineglorie, from veine, feminine of vain, vein vain + glorie glory entry 1, after Medieval Latin vāna glōria
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of vainglory was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near vainglory
Cite this Entry
“Vainglory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vainglory. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
vainglory
noun
vain·glo·ry
ˈvān-ˌglōr-ē
-ˌglȯr-
: too much pride especially in what one has done
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