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

• 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 future of collaboration is not man versus machine, but man with machine—in an open, visible process where every contributor can see, learn from, and be fairly assessed for their effort. —David Ferrucci, Fortune, 30 June 2025

The Bulls will want to negotiate this number down — which is more easily accomplished by compromising on a longer contract — but their commitment to the guard has been fairly clear in the build-up to these negotiations. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

Judging by the trailer, the film should follow the book fairly closely. —ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025

Radar can measure fairly accurately wind speed and direction higher up, say, above 200 hundred feet. —Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 28 June 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