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