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 exact terms of the AI funding arrangement are vague and will likely be dictated by what investors will agree to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Officials were vague about George W. Bush’s whereabouts immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, and Bill Clinton took an unmarked plane from India to Pakistan in 2000.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The cargo lists are vague so we don’t even know what dinosaurs were on board.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Last week, he told BBC Russian from an undisclosed location that his prospects were "vague" after he was forced to abandon his campaign to run for parliament.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Standing in a 1796 portrait of the Washington family is a house servant in uniform, a black man in profile, his features vague and shadowy.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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
The reference to the Princess of Wales is equally brief, but even vaguer.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2023
Other candidates have been vaguer on their answers.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
The women, though vaguer, are slightly more intriguing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
And the vaguer you told things, the better.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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
Even her husband will know, at most, just the vaguest setting of her latest book, a veil of secrecy that ensures he’ll have fresh eyes when he comes to the project as her first reader.
From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2022
He tells her, in one of the film's vaguest, most risible lines, "You've convinced me . . . that you are very convincing."
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2022
I had only the vaguest of ideas as to what any of the ma- :hines might have done.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
