poorly vs vainly

poorly

adv
  • With little or no success; indifferently; with little profit or advantage. 

  • Meanly; without spirit. 

  • Without skill or merit. 

  • In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort. 

  • In a negative manner; with disapproval. 

adj
  • ill, unwell, sick 

vainly

adv
  • In a vain pursuit; to no avail. 

  • With a vain attitude; in a self-approving manner. 

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