fairly

adverb

fair·​ly ˈfer-lē 

1

: in a handsome manner

a table fairly set

2

obsolete

a

: in a gentle manner : quietly

b

: in a courteous manner

3

: so to speak : nearly, practically

fairly bursting with pride

4

a

: in a proper or legal manner

fairly priced stocks

b

: without bias or distortion : impartially

a story told fairly and objectively

5

: to a full degree or extent : plainly, distinctly

had fairly caught sight of him

6

: rather sense 5, moderately

a fairly easy job

Synonyms

• enough
• kindly [chiefly Southern]
• kind of
• like
• moderately
• more or less
• pretty
• quite
• rather
• relatively
• something
• somewhat
• sort of

Examples of fairly in a Sentence

It's a fairly common disease.

I told the story as fairly as possible.

He reports fairly on the issues.

He beat me fairly and squarely.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fox said that these dogs are fairly adaptable to different lifestyles, and emotionally in tune with their owners. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025

The word ‘sect’ covers a fairly broad field, since, in fact, a religion could quickly fall under the definition of a sect. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 12 May 2025

Flexibility All grappling dummies are fairly flexible, since they are meant to imitate the resistance and range of motion of your opponent. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 May 2025

Anyway, these confusions between me and Mr. Cage happen fairly often. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fairly

• barely
• rarely
• squarely
• unfairly

Kids Definition

fairly

adverb

fair·​ly ˈfa(ə)r-lē 

ˈfe(ə)r-

1

: in a favorable manner

fairly situated

2

: in a manner of speaking : nearly

fairly bursting with pride

3

: in a fair manner : justly

treat each person fairly

4

: for the most part : rather

a fairly easy job