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Synonyms

fairly

American  
[fair-lee] / ˈfɛər li /

adverb

  1. in a fair manner; justly or honestly; impartially.

  2. moderately; tolerably.

    a fairly heavy rain.

  3. properly; legitimately.

    a claim fairly made.

  4. Chiefly Southern U.S.

    1. actually; completely.

      The wheels fairly spun.

    2. almost; practically.

      He slipped off the roof and fairly broke his neck.

  5. Archaic. clearly; distinctly.

    fairly seen.

  6. Obsolete. gently; softly.

  7. Obsolete. with respect and courtesy.

fairly British  
/ ˈfɛəlɪ /

adverb

  1. (not used with a negative) moderately

  2. as deserved; justly

  3. (not used with a negative) positively; absolutely

    the hall fairly rang with applause

  4. archaic clearly

  5. obsolete courteously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fairly

A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; fair 1, -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But she is in a fairly high income-tax bracket, and withdrawing the funds within 10 years as required by law could push it higher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"I feel people here are increasingly opening up… If everything is conducted fairly, then we will be victorious."

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The material can be fairly quickly enriched to the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade uranium.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Despite fairly good reviews, it apparently didn’t find a big enough audience.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The woman was the actress Blanche Sweet, I was fairly certain.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.