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

Their districts should be fairly competitive and balanced, which gives teams opportunity, whether that’s competing for a district title, earning a postseason berth or making significant improvements. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

Now that the event was Mackle-less, ticket prices had dropped dramatically, but the stadium was fairly full. — Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Communities north of Pittsburgh will see only light rain and drizzle today, with the coverage area percentage fairly low all day. — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Most of them are fairly innocuous, such as controlling dark mode. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 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