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

From the outside, The Colony Police Department looks fairly simple. —Bo Evans, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

Ron Gubitz, executive director of the Music Artists Coalition, which counts Don Henley and Meghan Trainor among its board members, says musicians want to know how their work is being used, to be able to withhold consent and to be fairly paid. —Steven Melendez, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026

This isn't an unrealistic scenario, given that US and Iranian demands remain fairly wide apart. —Lee Ying Shan,christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026

The Broad collection is fairly narrow, mostly made of work by artists who were successful in the market, and mostly from a handful of blue-chip galleries like Gagosian. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 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