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

The Dodgers do not have a timeline for Díaz’s return, though the club has vaguely identified sometime in the second half. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 16 June 2026

As campers, time was a nebulous thing organized only vaguely by Color War and campfires and morning reveille. —Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 13 June 2026

Over the years, some players have chosen to make this rapport vaguely, hilariously antagonistic, and while players like James Acaster may have been the trailblazers in this respect, Sophie Duker elevated it to an art form. —Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 12 June 2026

Opened in 2023, the sleek, vaguely Scandi structure is built directly into a hillside on a 500-acre regenerative farm. —David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above