nebulous
Americanadjective
-
hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused.
a nebulous recollection of the meeting; a nebulous distinction between pride and conceit.
-
cloudy or cloudlike.
-
of or resembling a nebula or nebulae in deep space; nebular.
adjective
-
lacking definite form, shape, or content; vague or amorphous
nebulous reasons
-
of, characteristic of, or resembling a nebula
-
rare misty or hazy
Other Word Forms
- nebulously adverb
- nebulousness noun
- nonnebulous adjective
- nonnebulously adverb
- nonnebulousness noun
- quasi-nebulous adjective
- quasi-nebulously adverb
Etymology
Origin of nebulous
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin nebulōsus “full of mist, foggy, cloudy,” from nebul(a) “cloud, mist, vapor” ( nebula ) + -ōsus -ous
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.
For many American families, saving for college is a daunting and nebulous task.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Quite often, while these U-turns shake up markets, they remain nebulous in terms of actual deals.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
At Davos, Trump also signed the charter of his inaugural “Board of Peace,” a nebulous body which may be intended as a rival to the United Nations.
From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026
We play by a code of conduct, that nebulous thing we have reified as “international law.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
Livermore’s nebulous mandate was an ideal fit for Lawrence’s scheme.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions 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.
