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

This is fairly confusing, since Izzy and Zach tie with four points apiece and Oscar gets two points – which doesn’t reflect either the imposter voting that round or the voting throughout the game. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026

Wednesday’s eclipse will happen in the afternoon in Iceland and Greenland, but how much the temperature falls will depend on cloud cover, which could be fairly abundant in those areas. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Aside from some public appearances, fans have noted that the new reality stars have been fairly quiet on social media post-show. — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

Rhaenyra is an essential character to care about, and the series has succeeded in making her fairly sympathetic. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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