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 mountain of fries exudes an air of luxury, threatening to spill from the top, showered in Parmesan cheese and smelling vaguely of truffles. —Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025

But because the law is so vaguely written, family caregivers of older adults may not be. —Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

Critics of the bill warned that even with the requirement to prove intent, it was written too vaguely and could harm students. —Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, 10 June 2025

Her corner storefront, lit like the interior of an E-class Mercedes, intrigues with its vaguely futuristic display cases and its tight cluster of Stockmans displaying her hero product: Janker jackets fronted with those conversation-starting fasteners. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 28 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above