fair

¹

[ fair ]

adjective

, fair·er, fair·est.

1. free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice:

   a fair decision;

   a fair judge.

2. legitimately sought, pursued, done, given, etc.; proper under the rules:

   a fair fight.

3. moderately large; ample:

   a fair income.

4. of a light hue; not dark:

   fair skin.

   Synonyms: blond, pale

5. pleasing in appearance; attractive:

   a fair young maiden.

   Synonyms: lovely, comely, pretty

6. neither excellent nor poor; moderately or tolerably good:

   fair health.

   Synonyms: favorable, acceptable, adequate, tolerable, passable

7. marked by favoring conditions; promising:

   I can now assure my two little daughters of a fair future.

   The chief medical officer pronounced him in a fair way to recovery.

8. Meteorology.
   1. (of the sky) bright; sunny; cloudless to half-cloudy.
   2. (of the weather) fine; with no prospect of rain, snow, or hail; not stormy.
9. unobstructed; not blocked up:

   The way was fair for our advance.

   Synonyms: unencumbered, clear, open

10. without irregularity or unevenness:

    a fair surface.

11. free from blemish, imperfection, or anything that impairs the appearance, quality, or character:

    Her fair reputation was ruined by gossip.

    Synonyms: unstained, unsullied, pure, spotless, clean

12. easy to read; clear:

    fair handwriting.

    Synonyms: legible, readable, intelligible

13. seemingly good or sincere but not really so:

    The suitor beguiled his mistress with fair speeches.

14. courteous; civil:

    fair words.

    Synonyms: gracious, polite

15. Nautical. (of a wind or tide) tending to aid the progress of a vessel.
16. Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having stable and normal vital signs and other favorable indicators, as appetite and mobility, but being in some discomfort and having the possibility of a worsening state.
17. Dialect. scarcely; barely:

    It was just fair daylight when we started working.

adverb

, fair·er, fair·est.

1. in a fair manner:

   He doesn't play fair.

2. straight; directly, as in aiming or hitting:

   He threw the ball fair to the goal.

3. favorably; auspiciously.
4. British, Australian. entirely; completely; quite:

   It happened so quickly that it fair took my breath away.

noun

1. Archaic. something that is fair.
2. Archaic.
   1. a woman.
   2. a beloved woman.

verb (used with object)

1. to make the connection or junction of (surfaces) smooth and even.
2. Shipbuilding.
   1. to draw and adjust (the lines of a hull being designed) to produce regular surfaces of the correct form.
   2. to adjust the form of (a frame or templet) in accordance with a design, or cause it to conform to the general form of a hull.
   3. to restore (a bent plate or structural member) to its original form.
   4. to align (the frames of a vessel under construction) in proper position.
3. to bring (rivet holes in connecting structural members) into perfect alignment.
4. Obsolete. to make fair.

verb phrase

1. South Midland and Southern U.S. (of the weather) to clear:

   It's supposed to fair off toward evening.

fair

²

[ fair ]

noun

1. an exhibition, usually competitive, of farm products, livestock, etc., often combined with entertainment and held annually by a county or state.
2. a periodic gathering of buyers and sellers in an appointed place.
3. an exposition in which different exhibitors participate, sometimes with the purpose of buying or selling:

   More than twenty-five employers with multiple open positions will be meeting with applicants at this weekend’s job fair.

4. an exhibition and sale of articles to raise money, often for some charitable purpose.

fair

¹

/ fɛə /

noun

1. a travelling entertainment with sideshows, rides, etc, esp one that visits places at the same time each year
2. a gathering of producers of and dealers in a given class of products to facilitate business

   a book fair

3. an event including amusements and the sale of goods, esp for a charity; bazaar
4. a regular assembly at a specific place for the sale of goods, esp livestock

fair

²

/ fɛə /

adjective

1. free from discrimination, dishonesty, etc; just; impartial
2. in conformity with rules or standards; legitimate

   a fair fight

3. (of the hair or complexion) light in colour
4. beautiful or lovely to look at
5. moderately or quite good

   a fair piece of work

6. unblemished; untainted
7. (of the tide or wind) favourable to the passage of a vessel
8. sunny, fine, or cloudless
9. informal.
   prenominal thorough; real

   a fair battle to get to the counter

10. pleasant or courteous
11. apparently good or valuable, but really false

    fair words

12. open or unobstructed

    a fair passage

13. (of handwriting) clear and legible
14. a fair crack of the whip or a fair shake of the dice or a fair go informal.
    a fair opportunity; fair chance
15. fair and square
    in a correct or just way
16. fair do's
    1. equal shares or treatment
    2. an expression of appeal for equal shares or treatment
17. fair enough!
    an expression of agreement
18. fair go! informal.
    come off it!; I don't believe it!
19. fair to middling
    about average

adverb

1. in a fair way; correctly

   act fair, now!

2. absolutely or squarely; quite

   the question caught him fair off his guard

3. dialect.
   really or very

   fair tired

verb

1. dialect.
   intr (of the weather) to become fine and mild

noun

1. archaic.
   a person or thing that is beautiful or valuable, esp a woman

Derived Forms

• ˈfairness, noun

Other Words From

• fairness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fair¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fæger “beautiful, attractive”; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German fagar, “beautiful, peaceful,” fagr, “beautiful, bright,” Gothic fagrs “fitting”

Origin of fair²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English feire, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin fēria “religious festival, holiday” ( Medieval Latin: “market”), in Latin only plural; akin to feast

Word History and Origins

Origin of fair¹

C13: from Old French feire, from Late Latin fēria holiday, from Latin fēriae days of rest: related to festus festal

Origin of fair²

Old English fæger ; related to Old Norse fagr , Old Saxon, Old High German fagar , Gothic fagrs suitable

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bid fair, to seem likely:

   This entry bids fair to win first prize.

2. fair and square,
   1. honestly; justly; straightforwardly:

      He won the race fair and square.

   2. honest; just; straightforward:

      He was admired for being fair and square in all his dealings.

3. fair to middling, Informal. only tolerably good; so-so.

More idioms and phrases containing fair

• all's fair in love and war
• play fair
• turnabout is fair play

Synonym Study

Fair, impartial, disinterested, unprejudiced refer to lack of bias in opinions, judgments, etc. Fair implies the treating of all sides alike, justly and equitably: a fair compromise. Impartial, like fair, implies showing no more favor to one side than another, but suggests particularly a judicial consideration of a case: an impartial judge. Disinterested implies a fairness arising particularly from lack of desire to obtain a selfish advantage: The motives of her guardian were entirely disinterested. Unprejudiced means not influenced or swayed by bias, or by prejudice caused by irrelevant considerations: an unprejudiced decision.

Example Sentences

The review made a number of recommendations including advising all departments to produce exception approval forms explaining why it would not be appropriate to run a fair and open recruitment process.

From BBC

“It probably wouldn’t have been fair,” Foster said, “if I could have just been fresh.”

From Los Angeles Times

To be fair to Tapper, it's doubtful he's genuinely surprised at Johnson's priorities.

From Salon

"The policy needs to be changed so it’s fairer for families across the board," she said.

From BBC

“The California public is at that point where they think this is just not fair to the rest of us.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bazaar
• celebration
• display
• exhibit
• festival
• gala
• market
• pageant
• show

More About Fair

What is a basic definition fo fair?

Fair describes something as being free of bias or injustice. Fair also describes something as being done according to the rules or as being neither good nor bad. Fair has many other senses as an adjective, adverb, verb, and noun.

If something is fair, it does not favor one side or the other. It isn’t tainted by dishonesty or injustice. If something or someone is not fair, then they favor one side or are giving an unjust advantage. For example, a fair criminal judge has no prior opinion on whether a person is guilty and doesn’t treat an accused person differently from anyone else. A judge who isn’t fair might think that everyone brought to their courtroom is guilty and will punish them, even if the evidence shows that the accused is innocent. Something that is not fair is said to be unfair.

Real-life examples: In the United States, every person is guaranteed a fair trial when they are accused of a crime. Businesses are supposed to have fair hiring practices, in which nobody gets an advantage. Judges and referees are expected to make fair decisions and not show support to either side.

Used in a sentence: I am a fair person, giving every movie a chance to entertain me. 

Fair can also describe something as being done according to the rules. If something is fair, nobody cheated. For example, a soccer game in which both teams strictly follow the rules is fair. A soccer game where one team has twice as many players on the field at all times is not.

Used in a sentence: The committee decided the match was not a fair fight because one of the boxers had used steroids. 

Fair is also used in this same sense as an adverb to mean something was done in a fair way.

Used in a sentence: When it comes to Monopoly, I never play fair, doing anything to win.

Lastly, fair describes something as being mediocre or satisfactory. If something is fair, it is not really good or really bad. It is decent, acceptable, or good enough.

Used in a sentence: He gave me a fair price on the used car.

Where does fair come from?

The first records of fair come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English fæger, meaning “beautiful” or “attractive.” The modern English fair can still be used in this sense, but it now has many other senses.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to fair?

• fairly (adverb)
• fairness (noun)
• unfair (adjective)

What are some synonyms for fair?

• impartial
• unbiased
• equal
• honest
• adequate
• reasonable
• satisfactory

What are some words that share a root or word element with fair? 

• fair and square
• fair enough
• fair game
• fair play
• all’s fair in love and war

What are some words that often get used in discussing fair?

• bias
• prejudice
• justice
• equality
• rules
• cheat

What are some words fair may be commonly confused with?

• fare

How is fair used in real life?

Fair is an extremely common word with many senses. It is often used to describe something as being unbiased or being done while following the rules.

I'm still a bit nervous and concerned, but I'm just fully gonna put all my faith into Ri's lawyer and hope for honest witnesses and a fair judge. 🙏

— Brett (@BeliEVErinEve) December 24, 2020

Is it too much to ask for a fair game of hockey? #StanleyCupFinals #GoStars

— Tiney Ricciardi (@tineywristwatch) September 26, 2020

Yes, I lost a race to a snail, but it wasn’t fair! He was going the right direction the whole time.

— Patrick Star (@Patrick_Star) October 14, 2015

 

 

Try using fair!

True or False?

A fair decision is one that is biased toward one side.