vague

Imprecise; uncertain; indefinite.

The term vague is frequently used in reference to a statute written in language that is so indefinite or lacking in precision that an individual of ordinary intelligence is forced to guess at its meaning. Statutes that are vague are ordinarily void on that ground.

Cross-references

Void for Vagueness Doctrine.

---

vague adjective ambiguous, ambiguus, amorphous, blurred, blurry, broad, cloudy, confused, cryptic, dim, doubtful, dubious, dubius, enigmatic, equivocal, evasive, faint, general, ill-defined, impalpable, imprecise, incertus, incomprehensible, indecisive, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, indistinguishable, inexplicit, intangible, mysterious, nebulous, obscure, perplexing, poorly defined, problematical, questionable, shadowy, unclear, undefined, undetermined, unsettled, unsure
Associated concepts: void for vagueness
Foreign phrases: Res est misera ubi jus est vagum et innertum.It is a sorry state of affairs when law is vague and mutable.

---

See also: allusive, ambiguous, broad, debatable, disputable, dubious, equivocal, evasive, impalpable, imponderable, inapprehensible, inarticulate, incomprehensible, inconspicuous, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, inexact, inexpressive, inscrutable, insubstantial, intangible, nebulous, noncommittal, oblique, obscure, opaque, open-ended, problematic, uncertain, unclear, undecided, undefinable, unspecified