vague
/veig/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not clearly expressed, known, described, or decided: A "vague" statement, idea, or feeling is not precise, definite, or easy to understand.
- Not clear in shape, or not clearly seen: A "vague" outline, figure, or memory is indistinct and lacks sharpness or detail.
- Showing a lack of clear thought or attention: A "vague" look or manner suggests someone is not thinking clearly or is distracted.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- She gave a vague answer when asked about her plans. (Her answer was not specific or clear.)
- I have only a vague memory of that day. (My memory is unclear and lacks details.)
- Through the fog, we could see the vague shape of a tower. (The tower's outline was blurred and indistinct.)
- He was criticized for being too vague in his instructions. (His instructions were not precise enough.)
Advanced Usage
- "Vague about": Unwilling to give clear or complete information about something.
- He was strangely vague about where he had been.
- "Vague sense/feeling": An unclear or undefined emotion or intuition.
- She had a vague sense that something was wrong.
Variants and Related Words
- Vaguely (adverb): In a way that is not clear, precise, or definite.
- He smiled vaguely and didn't answer the question.
- Vagueness (noun): The quality or state of being unclear or indefinite.
- The vagueness of the contract led to disputes.
Synonyms
- Unclear: Not easy to see, hear, or understand.
- Indistinct: Not clear or sharply defined.
- Imprecise: Lacking exactness or accuracy.
- Hazy: Unclear, confused, or not well-remembered.
- Ambiguous: Open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning.
Antonyms
- Clear: Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret.
- Precise: Marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail.
- Definite: Clearly stated or decided; not vague.
- Distinct: Recognizably different in nature from something else; clear and definite.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Not have the vaguest idea/notion: To know nothing at all about something.
- I don't have the vaguest idea how to fix this engine.
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
- not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished
- an undefined term
- undefined authority
- some undefined sense of excitement
- vague feelings of sadness
- a vague uneasiness
- not clearly understood or expressed
- 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