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

Rampell, who could only vaguely recall the encounter, set the record straight on Wednesday on the Bulwark podcast. —Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Reasonableness, like tolerance, is best seen as a convention of restraint, sustained because everyone remembers, however vaguely, what happens when the treaty collapses. —Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

What was once considered an illicit, communal, and vaguely transgressive symbol is now sold as a mainstream product through sleek dispensaries that, at least in California, seem to crop up around every corner. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026

On stage, Josh and Melissa, our wanderers from the land of reality, are subsumed into an actual musical rather than a vaguely Truman Show-style refraction. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above