vague
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Related to vaguer: vagary
vague
(vāg)adj. vagu·er, vagu·est
1. Not clear in meaning or expression; inexplicit. See Synonyms at ambiguous.
2. Not thinking or expressing oneself clearly: "Most of us are quite vague about the theoretical underpinnings of the medical theories that guide our doctors" (Kwame Anthony Appiah).
3. Lacking definite shape, form, or character; indistinct: saw a vague outline of a building through the fog.
4. Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or recalled; hazy: a vague uneasiness.
[French, from Old French, wandering, from Latin vagus.]
vague′ly adv.
vague′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
vague
(veɪɡ)adj
1. (of statements, meaning, etc) not explicit; imprecise: vague promises.
2. not clearly perceptible or discernible; indistinct: a vague idea; a vague shape.
3. not clearly or definitely established or known: a vague rumour.
4. (of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear thinking; absent-minded
[C16: via French from Latin vagus wandering, of obscure origin]
ˈvaguely adv
ˈvagueness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
vague
(veɪg)adj. va•guer, va•guest.
1. not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed: vague promises.
2. indefinite or indistinct in nature or character, as ideas or feelings: a vague premonition of disaster.
3. not clearly perceptible: vague murmurs.
4. not definitely established, determined, confirmed, or known: a vague rumor.
5. (of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression.
6. showing lack of clear perception or understanding: a vague stare.
[1540–50; (< Middle French) < Latin vagus wandering]
vague′ly, adv.
vague′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Adj. | 1. | vague - not clearly understood or expressed; "an obscure turn of phrase"; "an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit"-Anatole Broyard; "their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear"- P.A.Sorokin; "vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science"- John Locke unclear - not clear to the mind; "the law itself was unclear on that point"; "the reason for their actions is unclear to this day" |
2. | ![]() indefinite - vague or not clearly defined or stated; "must you be so indefinite?"; "amorphous blots of color having vague and indefinite edges"; "he would not answer so indefinite a proposal" | |
3. | vague - lacking clarity or distinctness; "a dim figure in the distance"; "only a faint recollection"; "shadowy figures in the gloom"; "saw a vague outline of a building through the fog"; "a few wispy memories of childhood" indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
vague
adjective
1. unclear, indefinite, hazy, confused, loose, uncertain, doubtful, unsure, superficial, incomplete, woolly, imperfect, sketchy, cursory Her description of her attacker was very vague.
unclear clear, specific, exact, precise, distinct, explicit, definite, clear-cut
unclear clear, specific, exact, precise, distinct, explicit, definite, clear-cut
2. imprecise, unspecified, generalized, rough, loose, ambiguous, hazy, equivocal, ill-defined, non-specific, inexact, obfuscatory, inexplicit His answer was deliberately vague.
3. absent-minded, absorbed, abstracted, distracted, unaware, musing, vacant, preoccupied, bemused, oblivious, dreamy, daydreaming, faraway, unthinking, heedless, inattentive, unheeding She had married a charming but rather vague Englishman.
4. indistinct, blurred, unclear, dim, fuzzy, unknown, obscure, faint, shadowy, indefinite, misty, hazy, indistinguishable, amorphous, indeterminate, bleary, nebulous, out of focus, ill-defined, indiscernible He could just make out a vague shape in the distance.
indistinct clear, distinct, well-defined
indistinct clear, distinct, well-defined
5. indefinite, uncertain, undecided, unconfirmed, pending, speculative, unresolved, indeterminate, yet to be decided the team's vague plans to start up a regular magazine
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
vague
adjective1. Liable to more than one interpretation:
2. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:
blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct.
3. Marked by lack of firm decision or commitment; of questionable outcome:
Idiom: up in the air.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
vague
[veɪg] ADJ (vaguer (compar) (vaguest (superl)))1. (= imprecise) [concept] → impreciso, vago; [description] → impreciso; [outline] → borroso; [feeling] → indefinido, indeterminado; [person] (in giving details etc) → impreciso; (by nature) → de ideas poco precisas
the outlook is somewhat vague → el futuro es algo incierto
there have been vague hints of a reconciliation → ha habido ligeros atisbos de reconciliación
my memories of that time are very vague → mis recuerdos de aquella época son muy vagos, aquella época la recuerdo muy vagamente
the vague outline of a ship → el perfil borroso de un buque
he made some vague promises → hacía promesas, pero sin concretar
I haven't the vaguest idea → no tengo la más remota idea
he was vague about the date → no quiso precisar la fecha
you mustn't be so vague → hay que decir las cosas con claridad, hay que concretar
I'm a bit vague on that subject → sé poco en concreto sobre ese tema
then he went all vague → luego comenzó a decir vaguedades
the outlook is somewhat vague → el futuro es algo incierto
there have been vague hints of a reconciliation → ha habido ligeros atisbos de reconciliación
my memories of that time are very vague → mis recuerdos de aquella época son muy vagos, aquella época la recuerdo muy vagamente
the vague outline of a ship → el perfil borroso de un buque
he made some vague promises → hacía promesas, pero sin concretar
I haven't the vaguest idea → no tengo la más remota idea
he was vague about the date → no quiso precisar la fecha
you mustn't be so vague → hay que decir las cosas con claridad, hay que concretar
I'm a bit vague on that subject → sé poco en concreto sobre ese tema
then he went all vague → luego comenzó a decir vaguedades
2. (= absent-minded) [person] → despistado, distraído; [expression, look] → ausente
he's terribly vague → tiene un tremendo despiste, es un despistado
to look vague → tener aire distraído
he's terribly vague → tiene un tremendo despiste, es un despistado
to look vague → tener aire distraído
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
vague
(veig) adjective1. not clear, distinct or definite. Through the fog we saw the vague outline of a ship; She has only a vague idea of how this machine works.vago
2. (of people) imprecise, or impractical and forgetful. He is always very vague when making arrangements.vago
ˈvagueness nounˈvaguely adverb1. in a vague manner. I remember him very vaguely.vagamente
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
vague
→ imprecisoMultilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
vague
a. vago-a, indefinido-a;
adv. vagamente.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012