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

The SpaceX crew missions contracted under NASA are fairly routine six-month trips to the space station for astronauts to conduct science experiments. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 May 2025

The Leafs used to do this sort of thing fairly regularly. —Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 May 2025

My buddy Benny is, like me, a southpaw, and we were both set up on the tree in the expectation that birds would approach from the right, making a fairly easy shot for a left-hander. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025

There are four broad categories: physics, chemistry, biology, and social science, with a fairly liberal interpretation of what topics fall under each. —ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025

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