remember vaguely

USAGE SUMMARY

"remember vaguely" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when you want to express that you have a faint or unclear memory of something. Example: "I remember vaguely attending a family gathering when I was a child." Alternative expressions include "have a faint memory" and "recall dimly."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

All I can remember vaguely is the adults whispering, I knew something was going to change.

The Guardian - Books

The last thing I remember, vaguely, is her standing there, looking at the bus, or perhaps at her watch.

The New Yorker

They both contain the following splendid quotation from Robert Louis Stevenson, which I remember, vaguely, from childhood.

The Economist

But I remember vaguely thinking: "Won't it be great to be an adult when people won't lie and be randomly mean to look cool?" Enter stage left: the internet.

The Guardian - Opinion

Without getting into robots on Mars, I remember vaguely, from the nineteen-sixties, a comic-book tale about some residents of our three-dimensional world who go through a hole in space, or something like that, and find themselves living in two dimensions.

The New Yorker

And what do you remember vaguely about your often-activist classmates when it came to politics?

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

We remember vague stories of him when I was growing up and all that, but you tend to forget what a great sense of humor he had, a lip-smacking sense of humor.

Los Angeles Times

Remembered vaguely, as if from an entire lifetime ago.

The New Yorker

CS Lewis remembers vaguely "all sorts of ballads and folk-tales in which the dead tell us that our mourning does them some kind of wrong.

The Guardian - Books

I remembered vaguely that I had planned to buy a new outfit for the occasion, something funky and ironic, in the spirit of James Bond's patriotic parachutes or Vivienne Westwood.

The New York Times

The report also include accounts from two colleagues of Dr. Monnett at the Minerals Management Service, each of whom remembers (vaguely, in one case) seeing dead polar bears in the water.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To enhance clarity, follow "remember vaguely" with specifics, even if those details are also somewhat uncertain. E.g., "I "remember vaguely" that it was a Tuesday and that we ate pizza."

Common error

Avoid using "remember vaguely" when you actually have a clear and confident memory. If you have precise details or a strong feeling of certainty, a more direct phrase like "I remember" is more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "remember vaguely" functions as a verb phrase modifying the action of remembering. According to Ludwig AI, it adds the nuance of uncertainty or incompleteness to the act of recalling something from memory. It suggests the recollection is not clear or precise.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Academia

10%

Science

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "remember vaguely" is a grammatically correct and usable English expression to indicate an imprecise or uncertain recollection. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it's commonly found in news and media contexts, but is appropriate for a neutral register. If you wish to convey a similar meaning with different words, alternatives such as "recall indistinctly" or "recollect faintly" can be used.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

vaguely recollect

Reverses the order of the words, but maintains the same meaning.

recall indistinctly

Indicates a lack of clarity in the memory; less common than the original phrase.

recollect faintly

Implies a weak or dim recollection, focusing on the faintness of the memory.

have a hazy memory of

Uses "hazy" to describe the memory, emphasizing its lack of clear detail.

sort of remember

More informal, suggesting uncertainty about the memory's accuracy.

dimly recall

Similar to "recollect faintly", but with a slightly stronger emphasis on the obscurity.

half remember

Suggests an incomplete memory, as if only part of the event is recalled.

imperfectly remember

Highlights the imperfection and incompleteness of the memory.

not clearly remember

Focuses on the lack of clarity in the memory.

can't quite recall

Emphasizes the inability to bring the memory into sharp focus.

FAQs

How can I use "remember vaguely" in a sentence?

You can use "remember vaguely" to express an uncertain recollection. For example, "I "remember vaguely" that we went to the beach that day."

What can I say instead of "remember vaguely"?

You can use alternatives like "recall indistinctly", "recollect faintly", or "have a hazy memory of" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "remember vaguely" or "vaguely remember"?

Both "remember vaguely" and "vaguely remember" are correct and convey the same meaning. The choice often depends on stylistic preference.

What's the difference between "remember vaguely" and "remember clearly"?

"Remember vaguely" indicates an uncertain or incomplete memory, while "remember clearly" implies a detailed and confident recollection. They are opposites in meaning.