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

Those details will be handled fairly behind closed doors with our respective counsels in due time. —Ashley Hume, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024

Between the lines: The pessimism about the direction of the country comes despite a fairly positive economic trajectory. —Dave Lawler, Axios, 26 Dec. 2024

The second half morphs into a fairly generic action set piece, crescendoing to a bitterly underwhelming climax and a conclusion that offers no kind of closure. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024

Outlooks farther north in Illinois were fairly similar. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

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