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

28 March 2024

HUDDLED

(adjective) crowded or massed together; “give me...your huddled masses”; “the huddled sheep turned their backs against the wind”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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