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

Services, infrastructure, governance, stability—everything that is needed for even a vaguely normal life is either gone, or on its knees. —Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025

Black satin, with a vaguely art deco pattern shot through it, a grid of circles and squares. —David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Although, given the BPU is owned by the Unified Government, state statute vaguely implies that may not be allowed to happen. —Sofi Zeman october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025

Sure enough, researchers found six vaguely familiar-looking frogs during their searches, the study said. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above