- (not used with a negative) moderately
- as deserved; justly
- (not used with a negative) positively; absolutely: the hall fairly rang with applause
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fair•ly /ˈfɛrli/USA pronunciation
adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- in a fair manner;
justly;
impartially:We want you to judge fairly. - moderately;
tolerably;
to a large extent:a fairly heavy rain.
fair•ly
(fâr′lē),USA pronunciation adv.
- in a fair manner;
justly or honestly;
impartially. - moderately;
tolerably:a fairly heavy rain. - properly;
legitimately:a claim fairly made. - clearly;
distinctly:fairly seen. - Dialect Terms[Chiefly Southern U.S.]
- Dialect Termsactually;
completely:The wheels fairly spun. - Dialect Termsalmost;
practically:He slipped off the roof and fairly broke his neck.
- Dialect Termsactually;
- [Obs.]softly.
- [Obs.]courteously.
- 1350–1400; Middle English; see fair1, -ly
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fairly /ˈfɛəlɪ/ adv
'fairly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
allegretto
- baboon
- bad
- blazer
- bronzing
- choppy
- clean
- crate
- dampcourse
- deal with
- Doberman pinscher
- Dundee cake
- even-handed
- fresh breeze
- game
- good
- Hekla
- hottish
- justice
- largish
- Leicester
- newish
- olive drab
- outside
- pendulum
- pretty
- rather
- respectable
- rope
- sharpish
- sometime
- supporting
- tolerable
- trunks
- uneven
- whip
- wide-angle lens
- young fogey
- almond bark
- Antarctic Convergence
- biggish
- bit
- chip shot
- contract
- cope
- curly-coated retriever
- deal
- decent
- down
- due