vague Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite not clearly understood or expressed
    obscure.
    • an obscure turn of phrase
    • an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit"-Anatole Broyard
    • their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear"- P.A.Sorokin
    • vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science"- John Locke
  2. adjective not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished
    undefined.
    • an undefined term
    • undefined authority
    • some undefined sense of excitement
    • vague feelings of sadness
    • a vague uneasiness
  3. adjective satellite lacking clarity or distinctness
    dim; shadowy; faint; wispy.
    • a dim figure in the distance
    • only a faint recollection
    • shadowy figures in the gloom
    • saw a vague outline of a building through the fog
    • a few wispy memories of childhood

WordNet

Vague adjective
Etymology
F. vague, or L. vagus. See Vague, v. i.
Wordforms
comparative Vaguer ; superlative Vaguest
Definitions
  1. Wandering; vagrant; vagabond. Archaic "To set upon the vague villains." Hayward.
    She danced along with vague, regardless eyes. Keats.
  2. Unsettled; unfixed; undetermined; indefinite; ambiguous; as, a vague idea; a vague proposition.
    This faith is neither a mere fantasy of future glory, nor a vague ebullition of feeling. I. Taylor.
    The poet turned away, and gave himself up to a sort of vague revery, which he called thought. Hawthorne.
  3. Proceeding from no known authority; unauthenticated; uncertain; flying; as, a vague report.
    Some legend strange and value. Longfellow.
    Syn. -- Unsettled; indefinite; unfixed; ill-defined; ambiguous; hazy; loose; lax; uncertain.
Vague noun
Etymology
Cf. F. vague.
Definitions
  1. An indefinite expanse. R.
    The gray vague of unsympathizing sea. Lowell.
Vague intransitive verb
Etymology
F. vaguer, L. vagari, fr. vagus roaming.
Definitions
  1. To wander; to roam; to stray. Obs. "[The soul] doth vague and wander." Holland.
Vague noun
Definitions
  1. A wandering; a vagary. Obs. Holinshed.

Webster 1913