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

Eventually, amid depth-charge bass blasts and Spikeheart’s death-metal growls, a beat assembles itself, at first vaguely trap-like, then closer in spirit to UK funky. —Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 25 Mar. 2026

There is also not a single character in Project Hail Mary who might be considered a villain, or even vaguely obstructionist. —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026

Here, group dates often involve good-natured humiliation rituals that vaguely correspond to a romantic theme. —Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Even countries that signaled a willingness to help did so only vaguely. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above