nebulous

/ˈnɛbjələs/

/ˈnɛbjələs/

Something that's nebulous is clouded or hazy. When you walk through the woods on a foggy morning, the trees may all have a mysterious, nebulous look to them.

When you fly in a plane on an overcast day, the land below you looks nebulous and indistinct. You can also use nebulous in a more figurative way, to describe vague ideas or fuzzy concepts. Nebulous comes from the Latin nebulosus, "cloudy, misty, or foggy." Its root is nebula, which is "vapor or fog" in Latin and was adopted by astronomers in the 1700s to mean "a cloud of gas and dust in outer space."

Definitions of nebulous

1. adjective

   lacking definite form or limits
   “nebulous distinction between pride and conceit”

   synonyms: cloudy, nebulose

   indistinct

   not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
2. adjective

   lacking definition or definite content
   “nebulous reasons”

   synonyms: unfixed

   indefinite

   vague or not clearly defined or stated
3. adjective

   of or relating to or resembling a nebula
   synonyms: nebular