vague

[veyg]

adjective

vaguer, vaguest 

1. not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed.

   vague promises.

   Synonyms: imprecise, unspecific

2. indefinite or indistinct in nature or character, as ideas or feelings.

   a vague premonition of disaster.

3. 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.

   Synonyms: shadowy, hazy, obscure

4. not definitely established, determined, confirmed, or known; uncertain.

   a vague rumor;

   The date of his birth is vague.

5. (of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression: a vague person.

   vague about his motives;

   a vague person.

6. (of the eyes, expression, etc.) showing lack of clear perception or understanding.

   a vague stare.

vague

/ veɪɡ /

adjective

1. (of statements, meaning, etc) not explicit; imprecise

   vague promises

2. not clearly perceptible or discernible; indistinct

   a vague idea

   a vague shape

3. not clearly or definitely established or known

   a vague rumour

4. (of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear thinking; absent-minded

Other Word Forms

• vaguely adverb
• vagueness noun
• unvague adjective
• unvagueness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vague¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French or directly from Latin vagus “wandering”

Word History and Origins

Origin of vague¹

C16: via French from Latin vagus wandering, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

It appears to lack details and in some cases is vague and ambiguous - perhaps on purpose.

Read more on BBC

While some of those campaign laws are also too vague and broad, they are generally better than the IRS rules.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It overturned the so-called Chevron deference doctrine, according to which regulatory agencies had wide latitude in interpreting vague statutes.

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Such vague marketing-speak is still the norm, as we are barely scratching the surface of AI’s capabilities.

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“Unlike many other cultures, we decided we were going to have pretty vague documents,” says Frank Partnoy, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has written extensively on financial shenanigans.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ambiguous 
• dubious 
• equivocal 
• faint 
• fuzzy 
• hazy 
• imprecise 
• lax 
• nebulous 
• obscure 
• uncertain 
• unclear 
• unsure