Word
nebulous
Phoneticsneb·u·lous
US/ˈnɛbjəɫəs/
UK/nˈɛbjʊləs/
Definitions
01vague or unclear
adj. not clear or specific; difficult to describe or understand exactly.
adj. lacking definite form, limits, or content; vague or ill-defined in a conceptual sense.
“The company had some nebulous plans for the future, but nothing was written down.”
“The candidate's platform remained nebulous throughout the campaign, frustrating voters who wanted specific policy proposals rather than broad rhetoric.”
Academic · Formal
Usage
Commonly used to describe abstract concepts like ideas, plans, or memories.
Synonyms
02cloudy or hazy
adj. looking like a cloud or a mist; not having a sharp edge.
adj. resembling a cloud or haze; lacking a clearly defined physical outline.
“A nebulous glow appeared in the sky just before the storm started.”
“Through the telescope, the scientist observed a nebulous mass of gas and dust where new stars were beginning to form.”
Literary · Technical
Usage
Often used in scientific contexts or descriptive literature to describe light or distant objects.
03relating to space nebulae
adj. related to a nebula, which is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space.
adj. pertaining to or having the characteristics of a nebula.
“The astronomer spent years studying nebulous gases in the Orion constellation.”
“The paper discusses the chemical composition of various nebulous structures found within the Milky Way.”
Technical
Teaching tip
This is the most literal and technical sense of the word; most learners will encounter the 'vague' sense more frequently in general reading.
Real-World Examples
“It’s mind-blowingly vague and nebulous.”
The “Hazelwood standard”, as it is now called, looms over cases such as Mountain View.” Etymology
From Middle English, from Middle French nebuleus, from Latin nebulōsus (“full of mist, foggy, cloudy”), from nebula (“mist, vapour, cloud”), from Proto-Indo-European *nébʰos (“cloud, vapor, fog, moist, sky”). Cognates *Ancient Greek νέφος (néphos, “cloud”) *German Nebel **Old High German nebul (“cloud, fog”) *Old English nifol, neowol (“dark, gloomy, obscure, precipitous, prone”) by surface analysis, nebula + -ous. More at neveling, nuel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.