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:
Presenting himself as a consumer advocate, Fielder bragged, “I graduated from one of Canada’s top business schools with really good grades” — both vague and technically true.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
While details of his plan remain vague, the idea appears to be to give every child a stake in the success of SpaceX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Yeah, those are just polls and they only offer you a vague snapshot in time.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
"The definition has been kept so vague that almost any benefit accruing to a person can be considered or argued to be an allurement," said Abhay Thipsay, a retired Bombay High Court judge.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Just...lots of stuff going on,” he said, committing to a more vague explanation.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
But such a war would be putty in the hands of international judges if they were to adopt a vaguer standard that allows genocidal intent to be inferred “holistically” from “facts and circumstances.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Emilie Kouatchou’s Holly moves the character away from the obvious Christine McVie reference, but her role has become vaguer and less central.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Other candidates have been vaguer on their answers.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
But it might be referring to something much vaguer or a holding position that was temporarily useful as a way of parking something difficult.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2023
And the vaguer you told things, the better.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
For months, his staff offered only the vaguest references to a medical issue, stonewalling reporters and leaving the voters of New Jersey’s seventh congressional district completely unrepresented.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
In its recent statement to customers, Liberty made only the vaguest of promises.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
In Mr Gallant's "four corners" plan, the Palestinian component is perhaps the vaguest.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024
Even now, far from home, he’s too scared to be identified beyond his last name and with only the vaguest military details.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2023
I’m sure the people in Houston didn’t have the vaguest idea what I was talking about, but they didn’t admit that, and said simply that they would pass the information on.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
