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:
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
Analysts on Meta’s earnings call were audibly eager to hear an update from Zuckerberg on his company’s vague plans to stand up a cloud service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Hasen previously called the ballot measure a “disaster,” writing in a blog post that its requirements are vague and it would be costly and difficult for agencies to verify citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Intrigued by the vague mixture of menace and nostalgia that the image evoked, internet users began sharing stories and speculating that the Backrooms is a hidden dimension into which people might accidentally find themselves.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
But aside from inventing a Latinate name for a vague principle, Wolff could provide no further specifics.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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
But this is a slightly vaguer way of phrasing it that pollsters tend to be more sceptical about.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
But racial resentment seems to deepen in times of anxiety, when many people seek a specific target for their fears rather than deal with a vaguer sense of dread.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2024
Other candidates have been vaguer on their answers.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 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
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
The mercurial billionaire has made only the vaguest of public statements about his plans for the company and its products.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022
A knotted neck scarf, a certain smell, the vaguest outline of a brooding, irritable presence.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
