vague
/veɪɡ
/adjective
1Of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning: many patients suffer vague symptoms...
- There is certainly a need for change, but these plans at present are vague, confusing and uncertain.
- The news is uncertain, the details clouded and vague, and the truth behind the fact is elusive.
- Even so the allegations were so vague they would have been impossible to defend.
Synonyms
indistinct, indefinite, indeterminate, unclear;
hazy, cloudy, fuzzy, misty, lacking definition, blurred, blurry, out of focus, murky, foggy, faint, shadowy, dim, obscure, nebulous, shapeless, formless, unformed, amorphous
rare nebulose
uncertain, undecided, yet to be decided, unsure, unclear, unsettled, indefinite, indeterminate, unknown, unestablished, unconfirmed, unresolved, unascertained, pending, outstanding, in the balance, up in the air, speculative
absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, disorganization, dreaminess, inattention, abstraction, wool-gathering, empty-headedness, giddiness, confusion, befuddlement
1.1Thinking or communicating in an unfocused or imprecise way: he had been very vague about his activities...
- The party has been vague and woolly with regard to the treaty settlement process up until now.
- Someone might reply that my explanation is vague and approximate.
- The problem is that talk of the interests of justice is very vague and very general.
Synonyms
imprecise, inexact, rough, approximate, inexplicit, non-specific, loose, ill-defined, generalized, ambiguous, equivocal, hazy, woolly;
sketchy, incomplete, inadequate, imperfect;
superficial, cursory, perfunctory
unclear, hazy, uncertain, unsure, undecided;
puzzled, baffled, mystified, bemused, bewildered, confused, nonplussed;
indecisive, irresolute, hesitant, tentative, wavering, vacillating
informal iffy
Derivatives
vaguish
- It's not without its flaws, but being vaguish isn't one of them.
- I have this vaguish recollection of a friend asking me this question once about 10 years ago.
- Is it just too vaguish or long winded for such efforts to be considered worthwhile on your part?
Origin
Mid 16th century: from French, or from Latin vagus 'wandering, uncertain'.
A number of English words descend from Latin vagari ‘to wander’ and vagus ‘wandering’. In the 16th century vague applied the idea of a ‘wandering’ mind to someone who cannot think or communicate clearly. A vagabond (Middle English) was originally just a vagrant (Late Middle English), someone who roams from place to place without a settled home, until it acquired the additional suggestion of ‘an unprincipled or dishonest man’. Before it came to refer to impulsive changes or whims, as in ‘the vagaries of fashion’, vagary (late 16th century) was used to mean ‘to wander’.