Meaning & use
vague expression
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Meaning
nouncountable
A word or phrase that is not exact or clear, so the listener cannot be sure what is meant.
Grammar: Countable: a vague expression, vague expressions; often used when criticizing unclear speech or writing.
Patterns
- use a vague expression
- a vague expression like something
- avoid vague expressions
'A few things' is a vague expression that hides what really happened.
Teachers often ask students to replace vague expressions with exact numbers.
He answered with a vague expression and quickly changed the subject.
Word forms
| plural | vague expressions |
|---|
Common combinations
- deliberately vague expression
- She used a deliberately vague expression to avoid promising anything.
- vague expression of time
- 'Later' is a vague expression of time.
- sound vague
- His explanation sounded vague and unconvincing.
- replace a vague expression
- Try to replace each vague expression with a precise one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hedge
- A hedge softens a statement on purpose; a vague expression may simply be unclear rather than cautious.
- generalization
- A generalization makes a broad claim; a vague expression is unclear in wording.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vague expression or vogue?
vague expression vs vogue
'Vogue' sounds similar but means fashion or popularity, as in 'in vogue'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'vague expression' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Vague expression' is a countable noun phrase, so it fits as the object of 'gave'. Option 2 confuses it with a physical map, and options 3 and 4 use it as a verb or place, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vague expression”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.