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 of fairly

• pretty
• relatively
• quite
• rather
• somewhat

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

The driveways are fairly short, and at the top of hers, the garage door hangs open. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

As a result, unlike what his name would suggest, Unique is a fairly generic loner who dully seeks vengeance. —Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

My previous role at Vermillio was entirely building a tech that allowed people to be fairly compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2026

What’s fairly new is the Democratic willingness to consider diluting the VRA districts. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

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