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
A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation
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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.
“They’re not actually filing any criminal charges where we can challenge the vagueness, the overreach and the abuse of that statute,” said Regan, the civil-rights attorney.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It had, in other words, the certainty of a craving and the vagueness of a dream.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Or perhaps the vagueness stems from casting a mish-mash of Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Chinese and American actors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
The Department of Justice exploited that vagueness when it convinced a grand jury last October to charge James with bank fraud.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
He covered his life with a veil of vagueness, while behind his quiet eyes a rich full life went on.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
