OED definitions

vanity--


1. a. That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value or profit.
c1230 Hali Meid. 27 Hare confort & hare delit, hwerin is hit al meast, bute i flesches fule oer in weorldes uanite..? 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 331 ose vnwyse ledes at affyen hym in vanyte & in vayne ynges. c1340 HAMPOLE Pr. Consc. 1619 us es e world, and e lyfe are-in, Ful of vanyte and of syn. 1387 TREVISA Higden (Rolls) III. 431 onkinge of enemyes is but vanite. c1450 LOVELICH Grail xliii. 316 Whanne alle this haddist ou seyn,..vpe thou ryse, and bethowhtest the Whethir it were soth oer vanite. c1480 HENRYSON Abbey Walk 51 (Bann.), Thy power and thy warldis pelf Is nocht bot verry vanitie. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems xlvi. 98 This frustir luve all is bot vanite. 1611 BIBLE Ps. xxxix. 5 Euery man at his best state is altogether vanitie. 1691 RAY Creation I. (1704) 76 We see nothing in the Heavens which argues Chance, Vanity or Error. 1834 MATHEW Serm. ii. 44 Yet you often..are disposed to own that all in this world is vanity.
b. Vain and unprofitable conduct or employment of time.
1303 R. BRUNNE Handl. Synne 3346 Forsoe hyt seme weyl to be Al here lyfe yn vanyte. c1340 HAMPOLE Pr. Consc. 7228 ai..swa mysturned here air lyfyng In-tylle vanyte and flesschly lykyng. c1374 CHAUCER Troylus IV. 729 But efter al this nyce vanite, They took hire leve, and hom they wente alle. c1430 LYDG. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 219 Lat reson brydle thy sensualite,..Ageyn al worldly disordinat vanyte. 1514 BARCLAY Cyt. & Uplondyshman (Percy Soc.) 5 Men labour sorer in fruyteles vanyte, Than in fayre warkes of grete utylyte. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 73, I pray the, Lord,..All vanitie and lieand word, Full far away thow put fra me. 1607 MELTON Sixe-folde Politician (Arb.) 114 As the enterludes may be tearmed the Schoole-houses of vanitie and wantonnes. 1612 Two Noble K. II. ii. 109 All those pleasures That wooe the wils of men to vanity. 1751 Transl. & Paraph. Sc. Ch. xxvii. 102 In Vanity ye waste your Days.
c. in vanity, in vain. Obs.1
1509 HAWES Conv. Swearers 23 Ye dare not take their names in vanyte.
2. a. The quality of being vain or worthless; the futility or worthlessness of something.
c1325 Prose Psalter li. 7 He was michel wor in his vanite. a1340 HAMPOLE Psalter xi. 1 A haly man at sees e vanyte of e warld mutiplid. 1382 WYCLIF Eph. iv. 17 That e walke not now, as and hethen men walken, in the vanyte of her witt. c1400 Destr. Troy 7121 Thus curstly at knight~hode..Voidet ere victory for vanite of speche. 1451 J. CAPGRAVE Life St. Aug. 9 In all is vanyte of his lif he happed to fynde a book at Tullius Cicero mad. 1535 COVERDALE Ecclus. xvii. 31 He hath pleasure in the vanyte of wickednes. 1662 J. DAVIES tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 31 A fabulous story, whereof the vanity is so much the more visible. 1674 Essex Papers (Camden) I. 200 This [rumour] alarmed me so much that I had little rest till Trear. spoke with King, who assured him of the vanity of it. 1711 ADDISON Spect. No. 159 2, I fell into a profound Contemplation on the Vanity of human Life. 1741 C. MIDDLETON Cicero II. viii. 216 The vanity of expecting any lasting glory. 1823 SCOTT Quentin D. xxxiv, The Bohemian had gone where the vanity of his dreadful creed was to be put to the final issue. 1834 Tait's Mag. I. 699/1 The noble Lord might have anticipated the vanity of his exertions. 1864 PUSEY Lect. Daniel (1876) 274 The vanity of the resistance of the kings of Judah.
b. The quality of being foolish or of holding erroneous opinions. Obs.
c1386 CHAUCER Miller's T. 649 Of his vanytee He hadde yboght hym knedying tubbes thre. Clerk's T. 194 Wol nat oure lord yet leue his vanytee? Wol he nat wedde? 1578 TIMME Calvin on Gen. 26 Whereby their vanitie is overthrowen which think that the world was a matter alwayes without forme. 1596 DALRYMPLE tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 46/10 That..[they] mycht now se thair awne daftnes, and lach or greit at thair awne vanitie. 1660 in Extr. St. P. rel. Friends Ser. II. (1911) 123 Your petitioner is in great dread and horrour of an oath (though hee detests the vanity of Quakers and such like giddy people).
3. a. The quality of being personally vain; high opinion of oneself; self-conceit and desire for admiration.
a1340 HAMPOLE Psalter xv. 4 Synn and vnclennes at ai ere in at folous aire flesch and e vanyte of aire blode. 1390 GOWER Conf. III. 166 That whil he stod in that noblesse, He scholde his vanite represse With suche wordes as he herde. a1400-50 Alexander 1730 Be vanyte & vayne glori at in i wayns kindlis. Ibid. 1784 All i vanyte to voide & i vayne pride. c1430 LYDG. Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 65 Yowre blynde fantesies now in hertis weyve Of childisshe vanyte, and lete hem over slyde. 1596 SPENSER St. Ireland Wks. (Globe) 627/1 They..through their owne vanitye..doe therupon build..historyes of theyr owne antiquitye. 1613 SHAKES. Hen. VIII, I. i. 85 What did this vanity But minister communication of A most poore issue? 1649 MILTON Eikon. B, The intention of this discourse was not fond ambition or the vanity to get a Name. 1705 STANHOPE Paraphr. I. 310 The vanity of wicked Men is scarcely more conspicuous than in the fond Imaginations they flatter themselves with. 1783 W. THOMSON Watson's Philip III (1839) 77 She cannot be vindicated from the imputation of female vanity, and the love of admiration on account of her exterior accomplishments. 1829 LYTTON Devereux I. i, His vanity was so mingled with good nature that it became graceful. 1881 M. E. HERBERT Edith 7 To the young wife's vanity and to Mr. Gordon's pride in his choice.
b. With a and pl.: An instance of this; an occasion for being vain.
1712-4 POPE Rape Lock I. 52 Think not, when Woman's transient breath is fled, That all her vanities at once are dead. 1761 HUME Hist. Eng. II. xxxi. 203 The nobility and gentry..who placed a vanity in these institutions. 1770 FOOTE Lame Lover 1 Wks. 1799 II. 57 To derive a vanity from a misfortune, will not I'm afraid be admitted as a vast instance of wisdom.
c. A thing of which one is vain; also slang, one's favourite liquor.
1854 PATMORE Angel in Ho. I. II. ix, She was my vanity, and oh All other vanities how vain! 1891 C. JAMES Rom. Rigmarole 114 It is advisable to wash it down with a long drink of the reader's particular vanity.
4. a. A vain, idle, or worthless thing; a thing or action of no value.
a1300 Cursor M. 53 at foly luue, at uanite, am likes now nan oer gle. c1340 HAMPOLE Prose Tr. 5, I satt by mine ane fleeande e vanytes of e worlde. c1450 Mankind 896 (Brandl), Thynke & remembyr, e world ys but a wanite. 1470-85 MALORY Arthur XXI. ix. 855, I had forsaken the vanytees of the world. 1535 COVERDALE 2 Kings xvii. 15 They despysed his ordinaunces..and walked in their awne vanities. 1545 BRINKLOW Compl. (1874) 83 Ye shuld turne from these vanitees vnto the liuinge God. 1633 in Verney Mem. (1907) I. 76 To run on in their sinful vanities. 1658 Ibid. II. 71 All I find as shee desires it for, is but to spend it uppon her vanities. 1673 CAVE Prim. Chr. II. ii. 33 The sights and sports of the Theatre and such like vanities. 1822 LAMB Elia I. Praise Chimney-Sweepers. A convenient spot..at the north side of the fair, not so far distant as to be impervious to the agreeable hubbub of that vanity. 1848 THACKERAY Van. Fair xli, As long as we have a man's body, we play our Vanities upon it, surrounding it with humbug and ceremonies.
b. An idle tale or matter; an idea or statement of a worthless or unfounded nature. Obs.
1340 Ayenb. 77 Holy wryt, et hise clepe leazinges..and metinges and uanites. c1340 HAMPOLE Pr. Consc. 184 Many has lykyng trofels to here, And vanites wille blethly lere. c1440 Jacob's Well 166 Whanne ou iangelyst in cherch, or thynkest vanytees. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems ix. 108, I knaw me..culpable..In wordis vyle, in vaneteis expreming. 1560 J. DAUS tr. Sleidane's Comm. 205 The Frenche men were thought to be authors and forgers of this vanitie. 1582 N. LICHEFIELD tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. 37 They be great southsayers, they haue good dayes and bad dayes,..they doe easily beleeue whatsoeuer vanitie. 1652 HEYLYN Cosmogr. I. 211 Turpin hath..interlaced his Storie with a number of ridiculous vanities. 1660 F. BROOKE tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 391 His Poem the Auracana..begins with this vanity, truely poetical and Romantick Spaniard-like. 1894 ‘MARK TWAIN’ in Century Mag. June 236/1 The claim that the knife had been stolen was a vanity and a fraud.
5. Emptiness, lightness; the state of being void or empty; inanity. Obs. rare.
a1400 Stockholm Med. MS. 127 A good oynement for e vanyte of e heed. a1400-50 Alexander 4774 It was bot vacant & voide, as vanite it were. 1587 LEVINS Pathw. Health (1632) 6 For the Vanity of the head Take the iuice of wall-wort,..and therewith annoint the temples.
6. N. Amer. a. = vanity table (see sense 7 below).
1937 ‘E. QUEEN’ Door Between xiv. 148 She sat down before the vanity to cold-cream her face. 1967 ‘V. SILLER’ Biltmore Call 124 Her make-up and perfume bottles and jars were still on a kidney-shaped vanity.
b. = vanity unit (sense 7 below).
1967 Boston Sunday Herald 26 Mar. (Advt.), Classic elegance for your bathroom is yours with this 30 × 20-in. vanity... Vitreous china top and bowl. 1977 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. XII. 8/2 (Advt.), Ceramic tile baths and vanities. 1984 Tampa (Florida) Tribune 5 Apr. (Sears Suppl.) 9/3 Start your bath remodeling with this lovely vanity.
7. attrib. and Comb., as vanity-bait, -giving, -huckster, sight; vanity bag, -box, -case, a small hand-bag, etc., for ladies, fitted with a mirror and powder-puff; vanity basin, a wash-basin for a vanity unit; vanity mirror, (a) a small make-up mirror, esp. as a fitting in a motor vehicle; (b) a dressing-table mirror; vanity number plate, U.S. vanity plate (see quot. 1967); vanity press, publisher orig. U.S., a publisher who publishes only at the author's expense; so vanity publishing; vanity set, (a) a set of cosmetics or toiletries, (b) U.S., a matching bath and vanity unit; vanity table, a dressing-table; vanity unit, a unit comprising a wash-basin set into a fixed dressing-table.
1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 404/1 The Vanity Bag. Containing on one side mirror, separate pocket for powder..with puff,..gusset pockets..for gold on other side, pocket for cards, papers, &c. 1946 K. TENNANT Lost Haven (1947) xviii. 295 The silver-beaded white vanity~bag that carried her money, her lipstick, her handkerchief. 1974 J. CLEARY Peter's Pence iii. 78 The note..had said she was spending the night with Fergus... She had taken a small vanity bag and slipped out of the apartment.
1816 JANE AUSTEN Emma II. xiv. 278, I should never have expected you to be lending your sanction to such vanity~baits for poor young ladies. 1972 House & Garden Dec.-Jan. 84/3 ‘Luxe’ vanity basin..£11.25.
1912 G. R. CHESTER Five Thousand an Hour ii. 10 She carried her own vanity box. 1978 N. MARSH Grave Mistake iv. 136 A vanity box..lay on the table.
1913 S. STORY Spirit of Paris 52 The exquisite femme du monde..has a final glance at herself, ‘vanity case’ in hand. 1957 Practical Wireless XXXIII. 531/1 The Sky Casket by Ever Ready..is of the vanity-case typeno controls or other external components being visible. 1979 M. MCCARTHY Cannibals & Missionaries xi. 323 He had slipped a folded plan of the house..into Eloise's vanity case, under her powder~puff, camouflaged by a thick layer of face-powder.
1892 Pall Mall G. 8 Aug. 6/3 Remembering..that enough of our public men do eat of this vanity-giving food.
1669 PENN No Cross Wks. 1782 II. 205 Let such of those Vanity-hucksters as have got sufficient be contented to retreat.
1959 Observer 1 Mar. 21/5 Visors with vanity mirror are flush fitting. 1966 T. PYNCHON Crying of Lot 49 i. 16 A half hour in front of her vanity mirror. 1971 ‘D. HALLIDAY’ Dolly & Doctor Bird viii. 100 The vanity mirror..was surrounded by fourteen ormulu makeup lamps. 1983 Listener 27 Oct. 25/2 (Advt.), Such thoughtful touches as an illuminated vanity mirror..and seat back map pockets are all standard. 1983 Daily Tel. 10 Oct. 13/4 They will sell you a personalised or ‘vanity’ number plate for as little as ten dollars.
1967 Britannica Bk. of Year (U.S.) 804/3 Vanity plate, an automobile license plate bearing distinctive letters, numbers, or a combination of these and usually available at extra cost. 1974 ‘D. SHANNON’ Crime File (1975) xi. 194 The drivers who wanted to pay extra..could buy the vanity plates.
1969 C. ARMSTRONG Seven Seats to Moon vi. 61 Are you planning to pay that Vanity Press to publish your father's book? 1976 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 7 Mar. 12/2, I read this book with the kind of horrified fascination with which one reads vanity press confessions.
1922 HOLLIDAY & VAN RENSSELAER Business of Writing 138 Numerous devices are employed by the ‘vanity publisher’ to lead the innocent author on toward becoming famous in his own eyes and those of his friends. 1978 Amer. N. & Q. Nov. 45/2 There are all sorts of literary histories, ranging from the pathetic things by which vanity publishers con local authors into expenditures far beyond their means, up to the CHEL and comparable works. 1984 H. SPURLING Secrets of Woman's Heart 19 Ivy placed Pastors and Masters..with a small firm of ‘vanity’ publishers called Heath Cranton in Fleet Lane, paying for publication herself.
1960 G. A. GLAISTER Gloss. Bk. 429/2 Vanity publishing, publishing on behalf of and at the expense of an author who pays for the production and often for the marketing of his book. 1981 V. GLENDINNING Edith Sitwell iii. 45 She had emerged from vanity publishing to the real thing... ‘I have found a publisher.’
1930 A. P. HERBERT Water Gipsies xix. 285 She lightly powdered her face. Lily had..given her a ‘vanity set’. 1970 Washington Post 30 Sept. B11/6 (Advt.), New tub. Toilet and vanity set. 1979 D. COOK Winter Doves II. i. 45 He had packed dolls' Vanity Sets into boxes.
c1440 Alph. Tales 166 Sho is not transfigurd..bod vnto er sightis at may be begylid with vanyte syght.
1936 L. C. DOUGLAS White Banners i. 9 The mirror of the vanity table. 1954 W. TUCKER Wild Talent (1955) xiv. 183 A vanity table likewise revealed occupied drawers. 1980 L. BIRNBACH et al. Official Preppy Handbk. 191/2 Women's locker rooms often boast vanity tables with combs and face powder.
1973 Vanity unit [see LIMED ppl. a. 2b]. 1983 Sunday Tel. 21 Aug. 31/4 The property has modern conveniences, including..fitted kitchen, bathroom with vanity unit and plenty of power points throughout.

8. a. Vanity Fair (after quot. 1678 below), a place or scene where all is frivolity and empty show; the world or a section of it as a scene of idle amusement and unsubstantial display.
[1678 BUNYAN Pilgr. (1900) 82 The name of that Town is Vanity; and at the town there is a Fair kept, called Vanity-Fair. It..beareth the name of Vanity-Fair, because the Town where 'tis kept is lighter than Vanity.]
1816 J. SCOTT Vis. Paris (ed. 5) 137 Such is the Palais Royal;a vanity faira mart of sin and seduction! 1827 SCOTT Chron. Canongate iii, Carrying so many bonny lasses to barter modesty for conceit and levity at the metropolitan Vanity Fair. 1857 TROLLOPE Barchester T. III. 110 But how preach..at all in such a vanity fair as this now going on at Ullathorne? 1861 THACKERAY Four Georges 72 Never was such a brilliant, jigging, smirking Vanity Fair as that through which he leads us.
attrib. 1848 THACKERAY Van. Fair xxv, The last scene of her dismal Vanity Fair comedy was fast approaching. Ibid. xli, Assuming that any Vanity Fair feelings subsist in the sphere whither we are bound.
b. Hence Vanity-Fairian. nonce-wd.
1848 THACKERAY Van. Fair xvii, Even with the most selfish disposition, the Vanity Fairian..can't but feel some sympathies and regret.