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

The data would help ensure Disney is being fairly compensated and characters are not being exploited. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026

Unfortunately, the ideal climate for this tree is fairly small. —Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 11 Feb. 2026

The labor market has steadily deteriorated over the past half year—not necessarily in the form of the unemployment rate, which has held fairly steady at around the 4% mark, but rather, the breakeven jobs number needed to maintain that unemployment rate has shrunk. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026

Warren McClendon replaced Havenstein in the starting lineup and played fairly well, but Havenstein returned to practice in the days before the NFC championship game last month in hopes of playing if the Rams made it to the Super Bowl. —CBS News, 11 Feb. 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