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

Trump’s efforts to gain more control over independent agencies may reach further into the Fed, with Musk vaguely promising an audit of the central bank. —Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Style yours with a turtleneck and fitted trousers with knee-high boots for a vaguely equestrian vibe. —Kerry Pieri, Vogue, 18 Feb. 2025

Hviid has more of a feel for furtive, vaguely unsavory atmospherics and escalating editorial suspense than for maximizing action within memorable set-pieces. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025

Even Jason Kidd, the Mavericks’ head coach, wasn’t informed until the deal was as good as done, according to Harrison, who said this at a press conference as Kidd sat next to him, with a vaguely stunned look. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above