Synonyms

vaguely

American

[veyg-lee] / ˈveɪg li /

adverb

in a way that is unclear, imprecise, or uncertain: The sound was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't identify it.

They've been talking vaguely about maybe buying a house there one of these days.
The sound was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't identify it.

Other Word Forms

unvaguely adverb

Etymology

Origin of vaguely

vague ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A months-long pilot phase will start this summer in a plant in Leipzig, with employees working alongside the vaguely human-like robots.

From Barron's

At first, I felt vaguely conspiratorial — like I was getting away with something.

From Salon

In a recent transmission on the Silent Hill YouTube channel, he said they originally planned to keep the location vaguely in northern Europe.

From BBC

I feel vaguely inadequate when I must explain my identity to younger strangers, even more when I seem invisible to them altogether.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the most notable element of the design is a cube hanging high above the stage on which video projections, vaguely suggesting drone views, appear.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023