VAGUE

obscure, vague

(adjective) not clearly expressed or understood; “an obscure turn of phrase”; “an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit”-Anatole Broyard; “their descriptions of human behavior become vague, dull, and unclear”- P.A.Sorokin; “vague...forms of speech...have so long passed for mysteries of science”- John Locke

undefined, vague

(adjective) not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished; “an undefined term”; “undefined authority”; “some undefined sense of excitement”; “vague feelings of sadness”; “a vague uneasiness”

dim, faint, shadowy, vague, wispy

(adjective) lacking clarity or distinctness; “a dim figure in the distance”; “only a faint recollection”; “shadowy figures in the gloom”; “saw a vague outline of a building through the fog”; “a few wispy memories of childhood”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

vague (comparative vaguer, superlative vaguest)

Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.

inarticulate, Synonym: unclear; see also incomprehensible

Not having a precise meaning.

Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal

Not clearly defined, grasped, or understood; indistinct; slight.

Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal, indistinct, obscure, Thesaurus:vague

Not clearly felt or sensed; somewhat subconscious.

Not thinking or expressing one’s thoughts clearly or precisely.

Synonym: dazed

Lacking expression; vacant.

Synonyms: vacant, vacuous

Not sharply outlined; hazy.

Synonyms: fuzzy, hazy, ill-defined, Thesaurus:indistinct

Wandering; vagrant; vagabond.

Synonyms: erratic, roaming, unsettled, vagrant, vagabond

Noun

vague (plural vagues)

(obsolete) A wandering; a vagary.

An indefinite expanse.

Verb

vague (third-person singular simple present vagues, present participle vaguing, simple past and past participle vagued)

(archaic) to wander; to roam; to stray.

To become vague or act in a vague manner.

Source: Wiktionary


Vague, a. [Compar. Vaguer; superl. Vaguest.] Etym: [F. vague, or L. vagus. See Vague, v. i.]

1. Wandering; vagrant; vagabond. [Archaic] "To set upon the vague villains." Hayward. She danced along with vague, regardless eyes. Keats.

2. Unsettled; unfixed; undetermined; indefinite; ambiguous; as, a vague idea; a vague proposition. This faith is neither a mere fantasy of future glory, nor a vague ebullition of feeling. I. Taylor. The poet turned away, and gave himself up to a sort of vague revery, which he called thought. Hawthorne.

3. Proceeding from no known authority; unauthenticated; uncertain; flying; as, a vague report. Some legend strange and value. Longfellow. Vague year. See Sothiac year, under Sothiac.

Syn.

– Unsettled; indefinite; unfixed; ill-defined; ambiguous; hazy; loose; lax; uncertain.

Vague, n. Etym: [Cf. F. vague.]

Definition: An indefinite expanse. [R.] The gray vague of unsympathizing sea. Lowell.

Vague, v. i. Etym: [F. vaguer, L. vagari, fr. vagus roaming.]

Definition: To wander; to roam; to stray. [Obs.] "[The soul] doth vague and wander." Holland.

Vague, n.

Definition: A wandering; a vagary. [Obs.] Holinshed.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 December 2024

QUANDONG

(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

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