futilely vs in vain

futilely

adv
  • In a futile manner. 

in vain

adv
  • Without success or a result; ending in failure. 

  • In a disrespectful manner, without honoring the proper meaning; insincerely or without proper respect. 

adj
  • Unsuccessful, failed. 

How often have the words futilely and in vain occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )