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

Now, data that vaguely matches a scent to a voltage pattern is available. — New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026

The somewhat bridal nature of Jodie Woods’s attire vaguely recalled one of her sister’s looks from earlier this year. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2026

There are rippling gasps, drums, strings, sax, a vaguely Latin guitar, a sample of a woman talking about getting her hair done. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026

Both Dwarf Houses and Truett’s Chick-fil-A restaurants have special menus and themes, but only one is famous for its small doors and vaguely Alpine charm. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above