vague
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Related to vaguer: vagary
vague
(vāg)adj. vagu·er, vagu·est
1. Not clear in meaning or expression; inexplicit. See Synonyms at ambiguous.
2. Not thinking or expressing oneself clearly: "Most of us are quite vague about the theoretical underpinnings of the medical theories that guide our doctors" (Kwame Anthony Appiah).
3. Lacking definite shape, form, or character; indistinct: saw a vague outline of a building through the fog.
4. Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or recalled; hazy: a vague uneasiness.
[French, from Old French, wandering, from Latin vagus.]
vague′ly adv.
vague′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
vague
(veɪɡ)adj
1. (of statements, meaning, etc) not explicit; imprecise: vague promises.
2. not clearly perceptible or discernible; indistinct: a vague idea; a vague shape.
3. not clearly or definitely established or known: a vague rumour.
4. (of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear thinking; absent-minded
[C16: via French from Latin vagus wandering, of obscure origin]
ˈvaguely adv
ˈvagueness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
vague
(veɪg)adj. va•guer, va•guest.
1. not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed: vague promises.
2. indefinite or indistinct in nature or character, as ideas or feelings: a vague premonition of disaster.
3. not clearly perceptible: vague murmurs.
4. not definitely established, determined, confirmed, or known: a vague rumor.
5. (of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression.
6. showing lack of clear perception or understanding: a vague stare.
[1540–50; (< Middle French) < Latin vagus wandering]
vague′ly, adv.
vague′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Adj. 1. vague - 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
unclear - not clear to the mind; "the law itself was unclear on that point"; "the reason for their actions is unclear to this day"
2. [画像:vague - not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished]vague - not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished; "an undefined term"; "undefined authority"; "some undefined sense of excitement"; "vague feelings of sadness"; "a vague uneasiness"
indefinite - vague or not clearly defined or stated; "must you be so indefinite?"; "amorphous blots of color having vague and indefinite edges"; "he would not answer so indefinite a proposal"
3. vague - 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"
indistinct - not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand; "indistinct shapes in the gloom"; "an indistinct memory"; "only indistinct notions of what to do"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
vague
adjective
1. unclear, indefinite, hazy, confused, loose, uncertain, doubtful, unsure, superficial, incomplete, woolly, imperfect, sketchy, cursory Her description of her attacker was very vague.
unclear clear, specific, exact, precise, distinct, explicit, definite, clear-cut
unclear clear, specific, exact, precise, distinct, explicit, definite, clear-cut
2. imprecise, unspecified, generalized, rough, loose, ambiguous, hazy, equivocal, ill-defined, non-specific, inexact, obfuscatory, inexplicit His answer was deliberately vague.
3. absent-minded, absorbed, abstracted, distracted, unaware, musing, vacant, preoccupied, bemused, oblivious, dreamy, daydreaming, faraway, unthinking, heedless, inattentive, unheeding She had married a charming but rather vague Englishman.
4. indistinct, blurred, unclear, dim, fuzzy, unknown, obscure, faint, shadowy, indefinite, misty, hazy, indistinguishable, amorphous, indeterminate, bleary, nebulous, out of focus, ill-defined, indiscernible He could just make out a vague shape in the distance.
indistinct clear, distinct, well-defined
indistinct clear, distinct, well-defined
5. indefinite, uncertain, undecided, unconfirmed, pending, speculative, unresolved, indeterminate, yet to be decided the team's vague plans to start up a regular magazine
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
vague
adjective1. Liable to more than one interpretation:
2. Not clearly perceived or perceptible:
blear, bleary, cloudy, dim, faint, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, indefinite, indistinct, misty, obscure, shadowy, unclear, undistinct.
3. Marked by lack of firm decision or commitment; of questionable outcome:
Idiom: up in the air.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غَيْر دَقيق، غَيْر عَمَليغَيْر واضِح، مُبْهَممُبْهَم
matnýnejistýneurčitývágní
vagsvævendeupræcis
epämääräinen
nejasan
óljós, óskÿrómarkviss, óákveîinn
曖昧な
막연한
nekonkretus
izklaidīgsnenoteiktsneprecīzsneskaidrs
nejasen
vag
คลุมเครือ
không rõ ràng
vague
[veɪg] ADJ (vaguer (compar) (vaguest (superl)))1. (= imprecise) [concept] → impreciso, vago ; [description] → impreciso ; [outline] → borroso ; [feeling] → indefinido, indeterminado ; [person] (in giving details etc) → impreciso ; (by nature) → de ideas poco precisas
the outlook is somewhat vague → el futuro es algo incierto
there have been vague hints of a reconciliation → ha habido ligeros atisbos de reconciliación
my memories of that time are very vague → mis recuerdos de aquella época son muy vagos, aquella época la recuerdo muy vagamente
the vague outline of a ship → el perfil borroso de un buque
he made some vague promises → hacía promesas, pero sin concretar
I haven't the vaguest idea → no tengo la más remota idea
he was vague about the date → no quiso precisar la fecha
you mustn't be so vague → hay que decir las cosas con claridad, hay que concretar
I'm a bit vague on that subject → sé poco en concreto sobre ese tema
then he went all vague → luego comenzó a decir vaguedades
the outlook is somewhat vague → el futuro es algo incierto
there have been vague hints of a reconciliation → ha habido ligeros atisbos de reconciliación
my memories of that time are very vague → mis recuerdos de aquella época son muy vagos, aquella época la recuerdo muy vagamente
the vague outline of a ship → el perfil borroso de un buque
he made some vague promises → hacía promesas, pero sin concretar
I haven't the vaguest idea → no tengo la más remota idea
he was vague about the date → no quiso precisar la fecha
you mustn't be so vague → hay que decir las cosas con claridad, hay que concretar
I'm a bit vague on that subject → sé poco en concreto sobre ese tema
then he went all vague → luego comenzó a decir vaguedades
2. (= absent-minded) [person] → despistado, distraído ; [expression, look] → ausente
he's terribly vague → tiene un tremendo despiste, es un despistado
to look vague → tener aire distraído
he's terribly vague → tiene un tremendo despiste, es un despistado
to look vague → tener aire distraído
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
vague
[ˈveɪg] adj (= not precise) [description, information, instructions, promises] → vague often before n
She gave very vague instructions → Elle a donné de très vagues instructions.
She gave very vague instructions → Elle a donné de très vagues instructions.
(= faint) [memory] → vague before n; [impression, idea] → vague before n
I haven't the vaguest idea → je n'en ai pas la moindre idée
I haven't the vaguest idea → je n'en ai pas la moindre idée
(= evasive) [person] → vague
He was very vague about how this would actually work → Il est resté très vague sur la manière dont cela pourrait marcher en réalité., Il est resté dans le vague sur la manière dont cela pourrait effectivement marcher.
He was very vague about how this would actually work → Il est resté très vague sur la manière dont cela pourrait marcher en réalité., Il est resté dans le vague sur la manière dont cela pourrait effectivement marcher.
[shape, outline] → vague
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
vague
adj (+er)
(= not clear) person, plan → vage, unbestimmt ; outline, shape → verschwommen ; photograph → unscharf, verschwommen ; report, question → vage, ungenau ; murmur → dumpf, undeutlich ; I haven’t the vaguest idea → ich habe nicht die leiseste Ahnung ; there’s a vague resemblance → es besteht eine entfernte Ähnlichkeit ; I had a vague idea she would come → ich hatte so eine (dunkle) Ahnung, dass sie kommen würde ; I am still very vague on this theory → die Theorie ist mir noch nicht sehr klar ; I am very vague on Dutch politics → von holländischer Politik habe ich nicht viel Ahnung ; he was vague about the time of his arrival → er äußerte sich nur vage or unbestimmt über seine Ankunftszeit ; a vague sense of unease → ein leichtes Unbehagen
(= absent-minded) → geistesabwesend, zerstreut ; do you really understand, you look rather vague? → verstehst du das wirklich, du siehst so verwirrt aus?; to have a vague look in one’s eyes → einen abwesenden or (not having understood) → verständnislosen Gesichtsausdruck haben
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
vague
[veɪg] adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) (gen) → vago/a; (directions, description) → impreciso/a, confuso/a; (indistinct, memory) → sfocato/a; (person, absent-minded) → distratto/aI have a vague idea that ... → ho la vaga impressione che...
I haven't the vaguest idea → non ho la minima or più pallida idea
the vague outline of a ship → la sagoma indistinta or confusa di una nave
a vague look → uno sguardo assente or vuoto
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
vague
(veig) adjective1. not clear, distinct or definite. Through the fog we saw the vague outline of a ship; She has only a vague idea of how this machine works. vae غَيْر واضِح، مُبْهَم мътен vago matný unbestimmt vag αμυδρός, συγκεχυμένος vago ähmane مبهم epämääräinen vague מעורפל अस्पष्ट nejasan halvány samar-samar óljós, óskÿr vago ぼんやりした 막연한, 모호한 neaiškus, neryškus, miglotas nenoteikts; neskaidrs samar-samar vaag uklar, ubestemmelig niewyraźny, niejasny vago vag смутный nejasný, matný nejasen nejasan vag, dunkel, oklar คลุมเครือ belirsiz, açık seçik olmayan 模糊的 невизначений, невиразний غير واضح، مبہم mơ hồ 模糊的
2. (of people) imprecise, or impractical and forgetful. He is always very vague when making arrangements. vergeetagtig غَيْر دَقيق، غَيْر عَمَلي неточен vago nejistý vage upræcis; svævende ασαφής, αόριστος vago hooletu گنگ؛ غیر دقیق epämääräinen vague מְרַחֵף अनिश्चित zaboravan, nepraktičan bizonytalan tidak jelas ómarkviss, óákveðinn vago あいまいな 분명하지 않은 išsiblaškęs, nekonkretus, užmaršus neprecīzs; nenoteikts; izklaidīgs tdk jelas vaag vag, uklar niezdecydowany vago nehotărât неопределённый neistý nejasen smeten svävande, obestämd ไม่ชัดเจน dalgın, kafası dağınık 模糊,含糊 неуважний مبہم، گول مول không chính xác 含糊的
ˈvagueness noun vaagheid غُموض неяснота imprecisão nejasnost die Unbestimmtheit vaghed ασάφεια vaguedad, imprecisión ebamäärasus ابهام؛ گنگی epämääräisyys vague, imprécision אִי בְּהִירוּת अस्पष्टता zaboravnost, nepraktičnost bizonytalanság, határozatlanság, homályosság kekaburan óskÿrleiki, óákveðni vaghezza あいまい 분명치 않음 neaiškumas, miglotumas nenoteiktība; neskaidrība kekaburan vaagheid uklarhet, ubestemmelighet niewyraźny charakter imprecisão caracter vag, imprecizie смутность; неопределенность nejasnosť nejasnost nejasnost vaghet ความไม่ชัดเจน belirsizlik 含糊,曖昧 неуважність ابہام sự mơ hồ 含糊,暧昧
ˈvaguely adverb1. in a vague manner. I remember him very vaguely. vaagweg بِغُموض смътно vagamente matně vage vagt αμυδρά / αόριστα vagamente ähmaselt بطور مبهم hämärästi vaguement בִּמעוּרפָּל अस्पष्ट, धु़धले या अनिश्चित रूप से blijedo, slabo határozatlanul secara samar-samar óskÿrt vagamente ぼんやりと 막연하게 neaiškiai, miglotai neskaidri tdk jelas vaag uklart, utydelig, vagt mgliście vagamente vag смутно nejasne, matne nejasno slabo vagt ไม่ชัดเจน belli belirsiz 隱約地 неуважно مبہم طور پر mơ hồ 隐约地
2. slightly. She felt vaguely irritated; I feel vaguely uneasy. effens قليلا леко vagamente trochu etwas noget ελαφρά vagamente, un poco pisut کمی jossain määrin vaguement מעט गोल-माल ढंग से pomalo, malo kissé sedikit lítillega vagamente 漠然と 약간 šiek tiek nedaudz; viegli sedikit vaag litt, en smule cośkolwiek vagamente puţin, cam слегка trocha rahlo pomalo något, en aning เล็กน้อย birazcık 稍微地 злегка, трохи ذرا سا nhỏ, ít 有点,稍微地
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
vague
→ مُبْهَم neurčitý vag vage ασαφής impreciso epämääräinen vague nejasan vago 曖昧な 막연한 vaag vag niesprecyzowany vago неясный vag คลุมเครือ belirsiz không rõ ràng 含糊的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
vague
a. vago-a, indefinido-a;
adv. vagamente.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012