vague
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vague
- /veɪɡ/
- /væɡ/
Rhymes with -eɪɡ, -æɡ
Where it comes from
From Middle French vague, from Latin vagus (“uncertain, vague”, literally “wandering, rambling, strolling”).
adjective vaguer · vaguest
-
Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.
It follows from what has been said that a vague thought has more likelihood of being true than a precise one. To try and hit an object with a vague thought is like trying to hit the bull's eye with a lump of putty: when the putty reaches the target, it flattens out all over it, and probably covers t
Similar: inarticulate, unclear, abstruse, Chinese, dense, enigmatic, fathomless, bottomless, Greek, inapprehensible, incognizable, incomprehensible
- Not having a precise meaning. a vague term of abuse
-
Not clearly defined, grasped, or understood; indistinct; slight.
only a vague notion of what’s needed
Similar: ambiguous, equivocal, indistinct, obscure
- Not clearly felt or sensed; somewhat subconscious. a vague longing
-
Not thinking or expressing one’s thoughts clearly or precisely.
Waxed-fleshed out-patients / Still vague from accidents, / And characters in long coats / Deep in the litter-baskets […]
Similar: dazed
- Lacking expression; vacant.
-
Not sharply outlined; hazy.
He walked. To the corner of Hamilton Place and Picadilly, and there stayed for a while, for it is a romantic station by night. The vague and careless rain looked like threads of gossamer silver passing across the light of the arc-lamps.
Similar: fuzzy, hazy, ill-defined, dim, distant, ill-marked, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, muzzy, obscure, undefined
- Wandering; vagrant; vagabond. The Lord Gray incourag'd his men to set sharply upon the vague villains
Similar: ambiguous, equivocal, fuzzy, generic, gray, imperspicuous, imprecise, indeterminate, indefinite, indistinct, murky, nebulous, turbid, uncertain, unclear, undefined, undefinable, vague, woolly · Opposite: certain, clear, definable, defined, determinate, definite, distinct, exact, perspicuous, precise
noun vagues
- An indefinite expanse. The gray vague of unsympathizing sea / That dragged his fancy from her moorings back / To shores inhospitable of eldest time.
- A wandering; a vagary. [T]he Scots had some leasure to plaie their vagues
verb vagues · vaguing · vagued
- to wander; to roam; to stray. [The soul] doth vague and wander.
- To become vague or act in a vague manner. Vaguely, yes. I've vagued all my life; that's been my curse.
-
To make vague negative comments publicly; to make highly veiled complaints or insults.
Similar: vaguepost
Thesaurus
adjective
Similar: ambiguous, equivocal, fuzzy, generic, gray, imperspicuous, imprecise, indeterminate, indefinite, indistinct, murky, nebulous, turbid, uncertain, unclear, undefined, undefinable, vague, woolly · Opposite: certain, clear, definable, defined, determinate, definite, distinct, exact, perspicuous, precise
Translations
Every language
adj not clearly expressed
| Español | vago, desvaído |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 曖昧 aimai, 漠然とした bakuzen to shita |
| 中文 | 模糊 móhu, 糢糊 móhu |
| Português | vago |
| Français | vague |
| Deutsch | nebelhaft, schwach, unklar, undeutlich, ungenau, ungewiss |
| Italiano | vago |
| Ελληνικά | ασαφής asafís, αόριστος aóristos |
| Русский | нея́сный nejásnyj, нечёткий nečótkij, неопределённый neopredeljónnyj, расплы́вчатый rasplývčatyj |
| עברית | עמום amúm, מעורפל m'urpál, לא ברור lo barúr |
adj not having a precise meaning
| Português | vago |
|---|
adj not thinking or expressing one’s thoughts clearly or precisely
| Português | vago |
|---|
adj lacking expression
| Português | vago |
|---|
Talk about this word "vague." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vague. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vague. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vague "vague." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vague.Cite this
@misc{vague_2026,
title = {vague},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vague},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
