vague
adjective · verb · noun
Simple meaning
Not clearly expressed.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vaygIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈveɪɡ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.
Not clearly defined, grasped, or understood; indistinct; slight.
Not thinking or expressing one's thoughts clearly or precisely.
Not clearly felt or sensed; somewhat subconscious.
Not having a precise meaning.
Not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished
verb
To become vague or act in a vague manner.
noun
An indefinite expanse.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.
Used this way, vague is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Clear and precise
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use vague
- “Her instructions were so vague that nobody understood the task.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Unclearness by virtue of being poorly expressed or not coherent in meaning.
In a vague way.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An art movement in French cinema in the 1960s.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.