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

In the opening scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the system easily tracks effects through three-dimensional space, which move overhead and behind me more clearly, rather than just sounding vaguely above my head. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Set amid a row of dive bars on a vaguely insalubrious block of Lower Decatur is the anonymous bar and restaurant that started the city’s mini-Tiki trend. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

These are electric cars, which apparently justifies a vaguely techy-sounding alphanumeric assemblage. — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026

The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above