These words all refer to that which is not clear to the senses or to the mind. To be vague is to fail, whether intentionally or accidentally, to state precisely what on means or to make oneself clearly understood.

• He had only vague memories of his early childhood: The M.P. was vague about his plans, saying only that he would not refuse to stand again if selected.

Indefinite means not precisely defined or limited; indeterminate means not definite in extent, amount or nature: indefinite frontiers; an illness with indeterminate symptoms. In short, indefinite means vague , but with the emphasis on blurred outlines or a lack of focus; that which is indeterminate may be quite definite, such as specific symptoms accompanying an illness that nevertheless give no clear indication as to the nature of the underlying disease. An indeterminate number may be definite, but simply cannot be known: An indeterminate number of revellers dispersed to their homes before the police could arrive.

Obscure , indistinct , hazy and dim refer to various ways by which something is blurred or hidden. Obscure , the strongest word, may suggest a difficulty in perception caused by a murkiness of the atmosphere; or it may suggest a difficulty in understanding caused by the complex, abstruse or ambiguous nature of the material presented. In either case the result gives only an indistinct , partial view of something still very much hidden from sight or sense: obscure , muffled sounds; an obscure outline; an obscure passage of the Bible. Indistinct emphasizes the faintness of the impression on the senses or mind as well as the blurred outlines of the whole; it is thus synonymous with one meaning of vague : indistinct (or vague ) memories. Hazy and dim suggest different ways in which perception may be rendered indistinct . Hazy implies a misty but, at times, glary atmosphere impenetrable to sight; dim points simply to darkness. Whereas hazy conveys a strong sense of confusion, uncertainty and blurred impressions, dim stresses simply the difficulty of seeing or perceiving.

• Though heavily sedated, she had a dim awareness of what was happening; His wife had only the haziest of notions about what he did at work.