vaguely

adverb

vague·​ly ˈvāg-lē How to pronounce vaguely (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The drawings show a north façade that is mostly contextual (Federal-repro porticoes) and a south front that is less so (topped with Victorian domes of vaguely mansard form). Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Aug. 2025 So far, the Trump administration has barely engaged on the subject, beyond POTUS vaguely floating the idea of tariffs on projects filmed overseas, which went over like a lead balloon. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2025 The inventory picture vaguely supports the mixed indicators, with inventories growing some but less than expected. Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025 Supremely silly, vaguely morbid and altogether hard to believe. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for vaguely

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaguely was in 1663

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vaguely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaguely. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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