fairly

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adverb fair·ly \ ˈfer-lē \

Definition of fairly

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 5, moderately

a fairly easy job

See fairly defined for English-language learners

See fairly defined for kids

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 of fairly from the Web

Although high temperatures and low humidity increase fire risks, the good news is that winds are expected to be fairly calm, Kochasic said.

— cathy locke, sacbee, "Central Valley will cook at ‘very hot’ temperatures for a week, weather service says," 28 Aug. 2017
Whether the topic is civil war statues or health care, much of the upheaval reflects a distrust of the political system’s capacity or will to act fairly.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Trust and politics," 26 Aug. 2017
As detailed in Curbed, these are fairly luxurious properties.

— matt gross, Bloomberg.com, "Live in Zaha Hadid's Undulating High Line Building for $22,500 a Month," 22 Aug. 2017
There's simply no way Jon and six other men held off thousands of wights, moving at a fairly brisk pace, for five full minutes.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Even a Major Twist Couldn't Save This Week's Episode of Game of Thrones," 22 Aug. 2017
Amazon’s online shopping behavior information, combined with mobile location services/GPS coordinate data creates a fairly complete consumer activity profile.

— heidi mannetter, Fortune, "Amazon’s Newest Venture Is Likely to Be a Bust," 21 Aug. 2017
Normally Tarantino’s social commentary is restricted to the fairly blunt revenge fantasy: Jews killing Nazis, former slaves killing slave masters.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Jackie Brown, the Best Quentin Tarantino Film, Is Streaming on Netflix," 21 Aug. 2017
But by 2017, the Surface Book had become fairly reliable.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Consumer Reports' Surface Laptop flap is based on data from past Surface models," 11 Aug. 2017
By keeping the color palette consistent and the furniture fairly transitional, Fine was able to play up her eclectic collection of home accessories, most of which were picked up during travels with her husband.

— rachel swalin, ELLE Decor, "This Is How Laurel & Wolf CEO, Leura Fine, Decorates Her Perfectly Eclectic Los Angeles Home," 8 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fairly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fairly

before 12th century

fairly Synonyms

Synonyms

enough, kindly [chiefly Southern], kind of, like, moderately, more or less, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, something, somewhat, sort of, a bit, after a sort, a little, a mite, a tad, a touch, of sorts (or of a sort), to a degree

Antonyms

dirty, illegally

Related Words

acceptably, decently, passably, tolerably; little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, vaguely; half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly, partway

Near Antonyms

awfully, beastly, deadly, especially, exceedingly (also exceeding), exceptionally, extremely, frightfully, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, mightily, mortally, particularly, surpassingly, terribly, very; considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially

FAIRLY Defined for English Language Learners

fairly

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adverb

Definition of fairly for English Language Learners

: to some degree or extent but not very or extremely : to a reasonable or moderate extent
: in a way that is right or proper : in a fair way
—used for emphasis before a verb that is being used figuratively