Excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements, or bathroom cabinets with sinks built into them.
From Latin 'vanitas' (emptiness, worthlessness), from 'vanus' (empty). Entered English in the 12th century meaning excessive pride; the furniture meaning developed in the 20th century as bathroom design evolved.
The word 'vanity' perfectly captures the irony: calling a bathroom sink a 'vanity' is technically saying it's an empty, pointless piece of furniture—but we keep buying increasingly elaborate ones anyway.
Vanity has been gendered feminine since the medieval period, often moralized as a 'female vice' in religious and philosophical texts. This gendering intensified during the 19th–20th centuries with marketing of cosmetics and beauty products targeting women as vain consumers.
Use without gender assumptions; vanity is a human trait across genders. Avoid pairing with 'she/her' or female-coded contexts without equivalent male examples.
["pride","conceit","self-regard"]
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