nebulous

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈnɛbjələs/ UK /ˈnɛbjʊləs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
vague, hazy, or ill-defined; cloudlike

His plans for the future remained frustratingly nebulous.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · vague, hazy, or... vague hazy indistinct unclear cloudy murky amorphous ambiguous

Opposites

clear distinct definite precise sharp

Word family

Forms nebulously

Derived forms nebulouslynebulousness

Related forms nebula nebular

Etymology

From Latin nebulosus ('misty, foggy, cloudy'), from nebula ('mist, cloud, vapor'), from Proto-Indo-European *nebh- ('cloud, mist').

nebulosus Latin nebula Latin *nebh- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# nebulous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈnɛbjələs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈnɛbjʊləs/

## Meanings
1. vague, hazy, or ill-defined; cloudlike

## Examples
- His plans for the future remained frustratingly nebulous.

## Synonyms
- vague
- hazy
- indistinct
- unclear
- cloudy
- murky
- amorphous
- ambiguous

## Antonyms
- clear
- distinct
- definite
- precise
- sharp

## Derived Forms
- nebulously
- nebulousness

## Related Forms
- nebula
- nebular

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: nebulosus
- Root: nebula
- Root: *nebh-

## Etymology
From Latin nebulosus ('misty, foggy, cloudy'), from nebula ('mist, cloud, vapor'), from Proto-Indo-European *nebh- ('cloud, mist').

## AI Etymology
Nebulous comes from Latin nebulosus ('misty, foggy, cloudy'), from nebula ('mist, cloud, vapor'), from Proto-Indo-European *nebh- ('cloud, mist'). The historical trail runs through Latin nebulosus, Latin nebula and Proto-Indo-European *nebh-. In modern use it means vague, hazy, or ill-defined; cloudlike. Derived formations include nebulously, nebulousness; related forms include nebula, nebular.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown