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

Brian Zeiger, a criminal defense attorney in Pennsylvania, said interstate extraditions are fairly common and usually occur without complications. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

Where most villains are down to get the job done by any means necessary, Kraven has a strict code of honor and prefers to hunt his prey fairly. —Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024

The players themselves are getting off fairly lightly. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024

Nearly half of them even manage to climb to new peaks on the competitive chart, which is fairly rare for these types of tracks, which often debut in lofty positions and then disappear. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 13 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