vagueness
AmericanExplanation
Vagueness is a state of being unclear or uncertain. The vagueness of your directions won't be very helpful to the lost pedestrian who's trying to find the closest subway station. If your parents ask what time you went to bed, you might say “nine-ish” and hope they don’t question your vagueness. Vagueness can also be visual, like the vagueness of shapes in the fog. The Latin root of vagueness, vagus literally means "wandering" and figuratively means "vacillating or uncertain."
Vocabulary lists containing vagueness
The Suffix -ness, Part 3
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Novel Study: Invisible Man, Chapter 15–Epilogue
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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.
But I think we’re still seeing a lot of mixed signals and vagueness about how effectively they’re adopting AI and where.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
"That kind of vagueness continues to be a problem because there are such severe penalties," she said.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2025
Sensing this deliberate vagueness, Boasberg adjourned the hearing for 30 minutes so Ensign could gather more information.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2025
But there’s a line between entrancing vagueness and just not being that present — there were long stretches where Carti seemed to leave the stage entirely while pre-recorded lead vocals still played.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025
He looked up with a vagueness in his eyes.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
