: 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
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
Michael BlaineWhere once the city was a battleground for two main militias … now at least five militias claim vaguely defined pockets as their own.—Jeffrey Bartholet
Jeffrey BartholetI'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
Bill SimmonsExamples of vaguely in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1945, the U.S. military controlled both Japan and South Korea, and oversaw purges of even vaguely leftist activity.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
The whole concept that a cop would purposefully misdirect an entire town and her family about where a girl died because something looked vaguely weird about the boys on the boat with her is absurd, and again, there was proof of that anyway, which everyone seemed content to ignore.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
During their visits, the team encountered a few vaguely familiar-looking frogs, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
Even the title, with its hints of money and consumption, sounds cold and vaguely condemnatory, like a Marxist critique of And Just Like That....
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vaguely
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.
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
The whole concept that a cop would purposefully misdirect an entire town and her family about where a girl died because something looked vaguely weird about the boys on the boat with her is absurd, and again, there was proof of that anyway, which everyone seemed content to ignore.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
During their visits, the team encountered a few vaguely familiar-looking frogs, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
Even the title, with its hints of money and consumption, sounds cold and vaguely condemnatory, like a Marxist critique of And Just Like That....
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vaguely
Cite this Entry
“Vaguely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaguely. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share