die Eitelkeit
Translation
vanity, conceit, vainglory
Examples
Seine Eitelkeit kennt keine Grenzen.
His vanity knows no bounds.
Sie schminkt sich aus reiner Eitelkeit.
She puts on makeup out of pure vanity.
Seine verletzte Eitelkeit war offensichtlich.
His wounded vanity was obvious.
Grammar Patterns
out of ((sheer)) vanity to do ((sth.)) She does it out of sheer vanity.
to wound ((sb's)) vanity That wounded his vanity.
Similar Words
Synonyms: Einbildung (conceit), Hochmut (arrogance); Antonyms: Bescheidenheit (modesty), Demut (humility)
Etymology
From the adjective 'eitel' (vain, futile) and the suffix '-keit', which forms abstract nouns.
Memory Tips
The word 'eitel' sounds a bit like 'idle'. An idle person might spend all their time looking in the mirror, which is an act of vanity.