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 director, working from a screenplay co-written with Martina van Delay, takes some big stylistic swings, such as having Jacob suddenly break the fourth wall and address viewers directly fairly late in the proceedings. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2024

Establish clear consequences for noncompliance, ensuring they are communicated and enforced fairly and consistently. —Liz Corey, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

One obstacle may be that as a character, Jay is necessarily fairly passive, at least during the period of his life covered by the film, mostly boxed in by the need to obey the rules. —Catherine Bray, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024

Generally, this early fall color shows up fairly uniformly across the whole plant. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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