vague
Americanadjective
-
not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed.
vague promises.
- Synonyms:
- imprecise, unspecific
-
indefinite or indistinct in nature or character, as ideas or feelings.
a vague premonition of disaster.
-
not clear or distinct to the sight or any other sense; perceptible or recognizable only in an indefinite way: vague murmurs behind a door.
vague shapes in the dark;
vague murmurs behind a door.
-
not definitely established, determined, confirmed, or known; uncertain.
a vague rumor;
The date of his birth is vague.
-
(of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression: a vague person.
vague about his motives;
a vague person.
-
(of the eyes, expression, etc.) showing lack of clear perception or understanding.
a vague stare.
adjective
-
(of statements, meaning, etc) not explicit; imprecise
vague promises
-
not clearly perceptible or discernible; indistinct
a vague idea
a vague shape
-
not clearly or definitely established or known
a vague rumour
-
(of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear thinking; absent-minded
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vague
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French or directly from Latin vagus “wandering”
Explanation
If your grasp of physics is vague and you've got a test coming up, it's time to hit the books. When something is vague, it’s unclear, murky, and hard to understand. Vague comes from the Latin vagus, which means wandering or rambling. Think of a vagabond, someone who wanders around the world with only a vague idea of where he's going. There are a few big, impressive words for vague, including ambiguous, nebulous, and tenebrous.
Vocabulary lists containing vague
"Harrison Bergeron"
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The same competitive pressures that drive the accumulation of computing power will also encourage the invention of ways to circumvent, erode or evade vague or complex rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Opponents say the proposition’s vague wording could result in vital services being excluded from the list of program expenses permitted in the 90% of revenues, prompting clinics to cut programs to avoid financial penalties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"The definition has been kept so vague that almost any benefit accruing to a person can be considered or argued to be an allurement," said Abhay Thipsay, a retired Bombay High Court judge.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“And finally, the phrase ‘physically demanding’ is vague at best.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
In the beginning, Hitler was vague about the Nazi Party's policies.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Wednesday’s meeting suggests that by dialing back how much the Fed says, Warsh might pull more officials into alignment—if only around a vaguer message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Emilie Kouatchou’s Holly moves the character away from the obvious Christine McVie reference, but her role has become vaguer and less central.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
But this is a slightly vaguer way of phrasing it that pollsters tend to be more sceptical about.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
But racial resentment seems to deepen in times of anxiety, when many people seek a specific target for their fears rather than deal with a vaguer sense of dread.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2024
And the vaguer you told things, the better.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
In its recent statement to customers, Liberty made only the vaguest of promises.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
That is mostly because I have only the vaguest idea of where I’ll be in a year.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2024
In Mr Gallant's "four corners" plan, the Palestinian component is perhaps the vaguest.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024
The mercurial billionaire has made only the vaguest of public statements about his plans for the company and its products.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022
I’m sure the people in Houston didn’t have the vaguest idea what I was talking about, but they didn’t admit that, and said simply that they would pass the information on.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
