From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishvanityvan‧i‧ty /ˈvænəti/ ●○○ noun (plural vanities) 1 PROUD[uncountable] too much pride in yourself, so that you are always thinking about yourself and your appearance Sabrina had none of the vanity so often associated with beautiful women.2 [countable] (also vanity table) a dressing table3 → the vanity of something
Examples from the Corpus
vanity• Vanity by any other name is still vanity.• His life is driven by vanity. He has to drive around in the most expensive car and wear the best designer clothes.• Her vanity kept her from getting a hearing aid.• The fury aroused by his anti-Pitt eloquence was at once frightening and flattering to his vanity.• His erect pompadour stands as proof that his male vanity is unharmed despite his incarceration.• However, little things which affect our vanity often influence us more strongly than major things which could affect our health.• Her older sisters plaited and decorated her hair, encouraging an already overdeveloped vanity.• Jo's vanity wouldn't let her walk past a mirror without looking in it.• They say I had the vanity to go down to Croisset and make an embarrassing scene on his doorstep.Origin vanity (1200-1300) Old French vanité, from Latin vanitas, from vanus; → VAIN 