Vagueness is having no clear boundary of meaning. Studied vagueness, the vagueness of the wording, criticised for vagueness.
Philosophy takes it seriously because of the heap problem: no single grain makes a heap, and yet heaps exist — which shows that ordinary words have no sharp edges. In politics vagueness is often deliberate, since a vague promise cannot be broken.
1nounvaguenessHaving no clear boundary of meaning.
“The vagueness of the contract meant that nobody knew who should pay for the repairs.”
vagueness is a quality of meaning.
Latin
vagus — uncertain, vague
Middle French
vague
English
vague
English, today
vagueness
From vague + -ness. vague comes from Middle French vague, from Latin vagus (“uncertain, vague”) literally “wandering, rambling, strolling”.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA