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

But the most expensive plastic surgery today is seamless, vaguely Gnostic, suggestive of complex secret knowledge. — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026

Some jokes, including a riff on the history of the Wright Brothers, feel vaguely Dada, as if Marino and Wain had spent a long, happy stretch of aimless days drinking coffee and free-associating. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026

Early in this week’s episode of Cape Fear, Natalie Bowden has been sent away from the latest mortal threat to the Bowden family and asked to spend some time with Paul, the vaguely smarmy man that she’s long been told is her biological father. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Some observers—especially on the left—dismiss the recent rush of commentary as vaguely racist media hype, or as the latest chapter in society’s vain effort to quell the permanent volcano of adolescence. — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above