vanity fair
- noun
- /ˈvænɪti fɛr/
- Literature
:
feria de la vanidad
- Her memoir exposes the hollowness of the vanity fair she once enjoyed.
Examples
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The novel portrays London as a modern vanity fair, filled with parties and superficial ambitions.
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What a vanity fair this is!
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He soon tired of the endless vanity fair that seemed to define city life.
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Living in a vanity fair can be exhausting.
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The city, with its glamorous parties and extravagant shopping, often feels like a vanity fair.
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Walking through the crowded streets filled with flashy advertisements, I realized this place was a true vanity fair.
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In the heart of the metropolis, the vanity fair atmosphere was evident, with everyone chasing trends and status.
Synonyms
19
7.5
Flashy style that looks nice but is not deep
1
6.6
A way of using a lot of money or things to show wealth
A stylish, expensive look that shows someone is rich
Antonyms
How Frivolous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'vanity' (vain, frivolous qualities) and 'fair' (a public event or market) give a basic image of a place where vanity is displayed, so the phrase is partially inferable. However, the established idiomatic/literary sense meaning a scene or way of life characterized by vain pursuits (beyond a literal fair) requires cultural or contextual knowledge, so a B1 learner knowing the words would only partly grasp the full MWE meaning without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase vanity fair comes from an old story of a public fair full of showy, useless goods, and the word vanity meant 'pride' or love of empty things. So vanity fair now describes a life or scene full of showy, shallow pleasures and material things.