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

In three games for Connor Ingram and one for Tristan Jarry, the goaltenders have oscillated between vaguely competent and actively bad. —Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Goaltender Spencer Knight was one player who vaguely echoed his coach’s and GM’s view. —Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

The woman showed me something vaguely resembling a driver’s license. —Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026

Rampell, who could only vaguely recall the encounter, set the record straight on Wednesday on the Bulwark podcast. —Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above