Vanity

In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others (Stephen LaMarche). Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but originally meant boasting in vain, i.e. unjustified boasting; although glory is now seen as having an exclusively positive meaning, the Latin term gloria (from which it derives) roughly means boasting, and was often used as a negative criticism.

Famous quotes containing the word vanity:

“That reverend Vice, that grey Iniquity, that father Ruffian,
that Vanity in years.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

“The vanity of being known to be trusted with a secret is generally one of the chief motives to disclose it.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)

“It is well for our vanity that we slay the criminal, for if we suffered him to live he might show us what we had gained by his crime.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)