Meaning & use
pretty vague
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not clear or exact; described in a way that leaves out important details.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, seem, and sound, or before a noun: The plan is pretty vague.
Patterns
- be pretty vague about something
- sound pretty vague
- a pretty vague idea
His answer was pretty vague, so nobody knew what he actually meant.
The instructions are pretty vague about how much water to add.
She gave a pretty vague description of the man she saw.
adjectivenot comparable
Not thinking or speaking clearly, especially because of tiredness or illness.
Grammar: Describes a person or their mind; usually after be or feel.
Patterns
- feel pretty vague
- be pretty vague about something
After two nights without sleep I felt pretty vague all morning.
He seemed pretty vague about where he had left his keys.
Common combinations
- pretty vague about
- The report is pretty vague about who is responsible.
- pretty vague idea
- I only have a pretty vague idea of what the job involves.
- pretty vague answer
- She gave a pretty vague answer and changed the subject.
- sound pretty vague
- That promise sounds pretty vague to me.
- pretty vague description
- The police were working from a pretty vague description.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unclear
- Unclear is more neutral and slightly more formal; it fits well in writing, while pretty vague often sounds like a spoken judgment.
- vague
- Vague alone is the plain adjective; adding pretty makes it softer and more conversational.
- hazy
- Hazy suggests something is blurred in your memory or mind, while pretty vague usually means the words or details themselves are not specific.
- ambiguous
- Ambiguous is formal and means more than one meaning is possible; pretty vague simply means not enough detail is given.
Opposites
Word family
- vagueness noun
- The quality of not being clear or exact.
- vaguely adverb
- In a way that is not clear or exact.
Commonly confused: pretty vague or pretty?
pretty vague vs pretty
As a single word, pretty usually means 'attractive' or, as an adverb, 'fairly'. In pretty vague it is the adverb meaning 'fairly'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pretty vague' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Pretty vague' describes something unclear, such as an explanation. Option A wrongly applies it to soup, option C misuses it as an adverb of degree before a verb, and option D wrongly describes a physical building.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pretty vague”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.