Adjective

(er)

Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.

*

*2004: , Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage

*:Throughout the first week of his presidency, Dulles and Bissell continued to brief Kennedy on their strategy for Cuba, but the men were vague and their meetings offered little in the way of hard facts.

Not having a precise meaning.

:

Not clearly defined, grasped, or understood; indistinct; slight.

:

Not clearly felt or sensed; somewhat subconscious.

:

Not thinking or expressing one’s thoughts clearly or precisely.

Lacking expression; vacant.

Not sharply outlined; hazy.

*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=Ep./1/2

, passage=He walked. To the corner of Hamilton Place and Picadilly, and there stayed for a while, for it is a romantic station by night. The vague and careless rain looked like threads of gossamer silver passing across the light of the arc-lamps.}}

Wandering; vagrant; vagabond.

*Sir (c.1564-1627)

*:to set upon the vague villains

*(John Keats) (1795-1821)

*:She danced along with vague , regardless eyes.

Adjective

(en adjective)

Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.

After he made some dubious claims about the company, fewer people trusted him.

* 2011 , Nigel Jones, "A Tale of Two Scandals", History Today , February 2011, Vol. 61 Issue 2, pages 10–17

Evasive, womanising, boastful, malicious, untrustworthy, an inveterate gambler who combined his mediocre military career with running a high-class brothel, permanently cash strapped and viciously quarrelsome, his character is as dubious as his unsavoury appearance.

In disbelief; wavering, uncertain, or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt; undecided.

She was dubious about my plan at first, but later I managed to persuade her to cooperate.

* 2010 , John M. Broder, "Global Climate-Change Talks Begin in Cancun With More Modest Expectations", New York Times , November 30, Section A, Column 0, Foreign Desk, page 12

Last year, President Obama had large majorities in Congress and hopes of passing a comprehensive climate and energy bill. Next year, he faces a new Congress much more dubious about the reality of climate change and considerably more hostile to international efforts to deal with it.