vague

(vāg)
adj., vagu·er, vagu·est.

1. Not clearly expressed; inexplicit.
2. Not thinking or expressing oneself clearly.
3. Lacking definite shape, form, or character; indistinct: saw a vague outline of a building through the fog.
4. Not clear in meaning or application. See synonyms at ambiguous.
5. Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or recalled; hazy: a vague uneasiness.

[French, from Old French, wandering, from Latin vagus.]

vaguely vague'ly adv.
vagueness vague'ness n.

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adjective

1. Liable to more than one interpretation: ambiguous, cloudy, equivocal, inexplicit, nebulous, obscure, uncertain, unclear. See certain/uncertain, clear/unclear.
2. Not clearly perceived or perceptible: blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct. See clear/unclear.
3. Marked by lack of firm decision or commitment; of questionable outcome: indefinite, open, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, unsure. Idioms: up in the air. See certain/uncertain.

adj

Definition: not definite or clear
Antonyms: certain, clear, definite, sure

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Imprecise; uncertain; indefinite.

The term vague is frequently used in reference to a statute written in language that is so indefinite or lacking in precision that an individual of ordinary intelligence is forced to guess at its meaning. Statutes that are vague are ordinarily void on that ground.

IN BRIEF: Not clear or distinct in form, meaning, or purpose.

I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers. — Helen Keller (1880-1968).

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For a list of words related to vague, see:

• Submissive, Uncertain, or Tentative

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See words rhyming with "vague."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Vaguely.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - vag, mild, ubestemt, uklar, svævende, utydelig

Nederlands (Dutch)
vaag, gering

Français (French)
adj. - vague, distrait, léger (doute), imprécis, flou, pas sûr

Deutsch (German)
adj. - geistesabwesend, zerstreut, undeutlich, vage, verschwommen

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ασαφής, αόριστος, αμυδρός

Italiano (Italian)
vago, indistinto, impreciso, incerto

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - vago, confuso

Русский (Russian)
неопределенность, неопределенный, рассеянный, нечеткий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - vago, impreciso, dudoso, mínimo

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - vag

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
含糊的, 茫然的, 不清楚的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 含糊的, 茫然的, 不清楚的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 막연한, 분명치 않은, 얼빠진

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - ぼんやりとした, はっきりしない, 不確かな, ぼんやりした

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مبهم, غامض, غير واضح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מעורפל, לא ברור, מטושטש, לא מתבטא ברורות, לא בטוח‬

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