fairly
Americanadverb
-
in a fair manner; justly or honestly; impartially.
-
moderately; tolerably.
a fairly heavy rain.
-
properly; legitimately.
a claim fairly made.
-
Chiefly Southern U.S.
-
The wheels fairly spun.
-
He slipped off the roof and fairly broke his neck.
-
-
Archaic. clearly; distinctly.
fairly seen.
-
Obsolete. gently; softly.
-
Obsolete. with respect and courtesy.
adverb
-
(not used with a negative) moderately
-
as deserved; justly
-
(not used with a negative) positively; absolutely
the hall fairly rang with applause
-
archaic clearly
-
obsolete courteously
Etymology
Origin of fairly
A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at fair 1, -ly
Explanation
When you do something fairly, you treat everyone with equal consideration. Sharing a pizza fairly between six people is easy: just give each person one slice. A teacher who doesn't treat all students fairly isn't a very good teacher — and a police officer who doesn't act fairly toward all citizens is also doing a poor job. When you behave fairly, you're unbiased and impartial, and you follow the rules. You can also use this adverb to mean "to a large degree" or "reasonably." For example, you could say, "I'm fairly certain that it's going to snow again tomorrow."
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.
Given a more moderate earnings outlook and lower dividend yield, the company’s stock appears fairly priced at 7X 2026 PE.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
About 35.8% of teens are participating in the workforce as of April, a rate that’s fairly consistent with teen employment trends going back to the financial crisis in 2008.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
Erskine said she did not "disagree with the financial situation that we are in" and that politicians were "making the case to Treasury that we need to be fairly funded".
From BBC • May 24, 2026
Solar radio bursts are fairly common and usually fade within hours or, in some cases, a few days.
From Science Daily • May 23, 2026
The woman fairly glowed with a kind of happiness, like she was sunshine.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
