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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of fairly

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

Example Sentences

Still, UOB’s decent valuation fairly reflects its asset quality risks and lower provision coverage level compared with its peers.

From The Wall Street Journal

“In both cases, our team collected evidence, applied Kalshi’s disciplinary process fairly, and concluded there was sufficient evidence that a trading violation occurred,” Bobby DeNault, head of enforcement, wrote in a post on Kalshi’s website.

From The Wall Street Journal

“And what have you there?” the musk ox would say, despite it being fairly obvious what was in Duane’s arms.

From Literature

The climactic scene, which involves Linda battling the ocean, had to be shot fairly early on before the water off Montauk, where the film is set and was shot, became too cold.

From Los Angeles Times

In his early years as president, Infantino kept a fairly low profile.

From BBC

Related Words

• adequately
• kind of
• moderately
• quite
• rather
• reasonably