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

Entering the lobby, your eye is led from the sleek golden fireplace across the lavishly marbled floors sliced into vaguely astrological patterns to a pair of globular totemic sculptures by the Danish artist Nicholas Shurey. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2024

The agencies, always zealous about protecting their sources and methods, prefer to talk as little as possible, and as vaguely as possible. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

The actor crossed paths with Donald Trump on the set of the 2002 romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice, but Grant only vaguely remembers it. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2024

Huebner compared it to going to a car mechanic and knowing only vaguely what's wrong with your car. —Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above