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
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
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
The first signs of colorectal cancer can be mild, vague, or easy to mistake for common digestive problems.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
In 1620 Francis Bacon called for a Great Instauration—‘instauration’ here means ‘founding’, and the term is suitably vague.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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 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
The women, though vaguer, are slightly more intriguing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 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
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
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
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
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.
