Vagueness Meaning
/vˈeɪɡnɪs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe condition of being imprecise or unclear in meaning: vague.
nounSomething which is vague, or an instance or example of vagueness.
Sentence Examples
The vagueness of the definition is a further cause for concern.
The law was criticized for its vagueness.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the directions made it hard for us to find the location.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the proposal made it difficult for the committee to decide whether they should provide the necessary funds today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English vague Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English vagueness From vague + -ness.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"On Wednesday night, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a new California law that makes physicians subject to professional discipline for sharing COVID-19 "misinformation" with their patients. U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb concluded that California's definition of misinformation is unconstitutionally vague, failing to give doctors fair notice of which conduct the statute covers, which is a basic requirement of due process. That vagueness is especially problematic in this context, Shubb said, because it is apt to have a chilling effect on speech protected by the First Amendment."
— 2023 January 26, Jacob Sullum, “A Federal Judge Blocks California's Ban on Medical Advice That Promotes COVID-19 'Misinformation'”, in Reason:
"If a man's deep and conscientious regard for the truth be such that he cannot, consistently with the requisitions of his moral nature, repeat to others mere vaguenesses and uncertainties, he will naturally give such strict and serious attention to the present objects of inquiry and knowledge, that they will remain in his memory afterward with remarkable distinctness and permanency."
— 1857, Thomas Cogswell Upham, Elements of Mental Philosophy, page 329:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the directions made it hard for us to find the location.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the proposal made it difficult for the committee to decide whether they should provide the necessary funds today.