vaguely

adverb

vague·​ly ˈvāg-lē 

: in a vague way: such as

a

: somewhat or slightly

He's vaguely familiar with the area.

… men on foot, dressed vaguely like janitors …

—A. L. Kennedy

b

: not clearly

There were grants, he explained vaguely, that had to be spent before the money went back to the federal government, so my main job was to buy lavish art books, as quickly as possible.

—Michael Blaine

Where once the city was a battleground for two main militias … now at least five militias claim vaguely defined pockets as their own.

—Jeffrey Bartholet

I've always believed closers are like girlfriends: You remember the great ones, you remember the awful ones and you vaguely remember everyone in between. (You could say the same about hockey goalies and field goal kickers.)

—Bill Simmons

Examples of vaguely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the specimens look highly similar to cambroernids—animals that looked vaguely similar to modern-day sea cucumbers—which have previously only been dated to the Cambrian. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026

Has Chris Pratt — who likewise seems to lean vaguely conservative — ever received the level of nuclear blowback Sweeney did? —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026

The only commonalities the two shared were vaguely in shape, with the four-door GT getting up to 100 mph effortlessly, with virtually no exterior noise. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026

These transparent caps cover tiny LCD screens that can be customized to show pictures or icons, a design choice vaguely reminiscent of the programmable-top keys on an Elgato Stream Deck. —Aubrey Jowers, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above