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

Even Jason Kidd, the Mavericks’ head coach, wasn’t informed until the deal was as good as done, according to Harrison, who said this at a press conference as Kidd sat next to him, with a vaguely stunned look. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025

During their visits, the team noticed some vaguely familiar lizards on the rocks and caught a few, the study said. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025

His socks are only vaguely acquainted with his shins. —Jack Lang, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025

Yet, Jones’ brand of bouncy, lightweight synth-pop — with the occasional vaguely Caribbean element added into the mix — seems very much stuck in the ’80s. —Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above