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

The New Deal only begins to look vaguely acceptable when the growth is in per capita terms. —Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Indeed, the last attempt at Batman Arkham VR was exactly that—little more than a vaguely interactive movie. —Matt Kamen, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024

With his vaguely aquatic look, the massive kaiju might have emerged from the ocean, which could tie him into a potential Aquaman story arc. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Miguel notes his friend is strumming on a guitar in vaguely classical way. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above