In That Vein – Meaning, Origin & Synonyms (With Examples)

You might have heard of the saying “in that vein” or “in that same vein” before, but you’ll be forgiven if you don’t quite understand what it means or when is best to use it. Thankfully, it’s not as difficult as you think, and we’ll take a quick look now into when is best to use it and how to fit it into sentences.

What Does “In That Vein” Mean?

“In that vein” means that someone does something in the same distinctive manner or style. What is done can vary based on the activity, but if someone has a habit of doing it in the same way, then you can say they’re doing it “in the same vein.”

It can also reference dialogue in daily life, where statements are all listed as the same. It’s not unlikely to hear someone say “or something in the same vein” afterward to let you know they mean anything along those lines. As long as the latter comes with a similar meaning to what is expected of the first few statements, then “in that vein” will work just fine.

Is It Called “In That Same Vein” Or “In That Same Vane?”

Spelling words like this can often be a challenge for some people, so don’t worry if you’re finding it hard. When it comes to phrases that get thrown around as often as “in that same vein,” it’s not surprising that people are unsure how to spell it. Let us simplify it for you. It’s only correct if you say “in that same vein.” “In that same vane” or anything else with a deviated spelling is incorrect.

It’s also possible to see some people writing “in that same vain, “ which is also wrong. A vein references the flow of your blood through your body, so saying something is inside the same vein means it’s just like the rest of the blood inside you. Of course, it doesn’t have to be taken that literally, but that’s generally what is intended.

It’s for that reason that saying “vane” or “vain” doesn’t work. Since a “vane” references nothing more than a flat side of a bird’s feather and being “vain” means that one is arrogant, they are completely irrelevant to the overall meaning of the phrase.

What Is The Origin Of “In That Vein?”

The precise origin of “in that vein” or “in that same vein” is unclear, and nobody knows precisely where it came from or who started using it first. The general meaning was pretty much adopted straight away – meaning to do something similarly and distinctly. It isn’t one of those phrases that used to mean something different and have always had the same meaning throughout the ages.

If a guess had to be made, it seems like the phrase came most prominently out of the mid-20th century, with mainstream media beginning to adopt it around the 80s or 90s. There’s a skit in Seinfeld, one of the more prominent showcases of the phase that looks something like this.

George: Hello.

Kelly the Waitress: Well, what’s it going to be?

George: What’s it gonna be?

Kelly the Waitress: Yes. What’ll you have? Are you eating? It’s in that vein.

George: I’ll eh, I’ll just have a bowl of chili.

5 Examples Of How To Use “In That Vein.”

You could use “in that vein” in various ways, as long as something is meant to be said similarly to before. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples to see exactly what that means.

Waiter: Would you like to take a look through our menu options?

Person: I’ll take the cod or something in that vein.

The person here is asking for a cod, though he isn’t entirely sure if it is something the restaurant offers or whether they might have run out of it. If that’s the case, then they’re more than happy for the waiter to come back with something similar to cod.

Friend 1: You always do it the same way.

Friend 2: I like to do things in the same way. It helps me remember them.

This scenario could reference several real-world situations. In this specific example, the friends are talking about doing an activity in a particular way that helps Friend 2 remember the best way to do it.

Mom: You always annoy me in the same vein.

Son: Sorry!

This way, the mom lets her son know that he is annoying her the same way he always does.

Boyfriend: I really like eating fast food. You know, McDonald’s, Arby’s, or something in that vein.

Girlfriend: Gross.

Here, the boyfriend lists some items he enjoys eating, though he doesn’t want to list them all out, so he compares them to each other using “in that same vein.”

Employee: I’ve been working hard these last few days.

Boss: Your performance chart shows that.

Employee: I could do with a raise or something in that vein!

Boss: We’ll see.

Here we see the phrase used in a workplace. It’s not always encouraged to use something like this in a workplace, as it can be seen as a colloquialism. You’re going to want to know your boss quite well and know how they’ll react to this if you try it.

“In That Vein” Synonyms

Let’s now take a look at a few of the different ways you could say “in that vein.” Each of these ways can be used in a different context in a sentence, though they’re all pretty useful to know! As long as you have a good grasp of what the phrase should be indicating, you should already have a good idea of a few of the best ways to say it differently.

  • Similar

A standard way to replace the phrase with a one-word response.

  • Like that

Saying “something like that” is similar to saying “in that vein.”

  • Replicate

To replicate an activity means you’re doing the same thing you’ve already done, just like doing it “in that vein.”