fair
1 of 5adjective
ˈfer 
1
a
: marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism
a very fair person to do business with
b(1)
: conforming with the established rules : allowed
(2)
: consonant with merit or importance : due
a fair share
c
: open to legitimate pursuit, attack, or ridicule
fair game
2
a
: not very good or very bad : of average or acceptable quality
Her work was only fair.
a patient upgraded from serious to fair condition
b
: sufficient but not ample : adequate
a fair understanding of the work
a fair chance of winning
c
: moderately numerous, large, or significant
takes a fair amount of time
a fair number of participants
3
: not stormy or foul : fine
fair weather
4
: having very little color, coloring, or pigmentation : very light
fair hair
fair skin
a person of fair complexion
5
: pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality
The innkeeper had two fair daughters.
6
: superficially pleasing : specious
she trusted his fair promises
7
a
: clean, pure
fair sparkling water
b
: clear, legible
an old manuscript written in a fair hand
8
: ample
a fair estate
9
a
: promising, likely
in a fair way to win
b
: favorable to a ship's course
a fair wind
10
: being such to the utmost : utter
a fair treat to watch him—
New Republic
New Republic11
archaic : free of obstacles
fair
2 of 5noun (1)
1
: a gathering of buyers and sellers at a particular place and time for trade
2
a
: a competitive exhibition usually with accompanying entertainment and amusements
an agricultural fair
b
: an exhibition designed to acquaint prospective buyers or the general public with a product
a book fair
c
: an exposition that promotes the availability of services or opportunities
health fairs
job fairs
3
: a sale of assorted articles usually for a charitable purpose
fair
3 of 5adverb
1
: in a manner that is honest or impartial or that conforms to rules : in a fair manner
play fair
2
chiefly British : fairly sense 3
fair makes you want to cry
fair
4 of 5verb
faired; fairing; fairs
intransitive verb
of the weather : clear
transitive verb
: to join so that the external surfaces blend smoothly
fair
5 of 5noun (2)
1
: something that is fair or fortunate (see fair entry 1)
2
obsolete : beauty, fairness
3
archaic : woman
especially : sweetheart
Did you know?
Fair in Love and War
For many people, the word fair brings to mind the aphorism “all is fair in love and war.” We have been using some variation of this saying for quite some time, although, as with many such expressions, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when it began. As far back as 1578 John Lyly wrote “anye impietie may lawfully be committed in loue, which is lawlesse.” We do not see evidence of war juxtaposed with love until 1687, when Aphra Behn wrote “All Advantages are lawful in Love and War” in her play The Emperor of the Moon. By 1717 this had morphed into “All advantages are fair in love and war” in William Taverner’s play The Artful Husband. Finally, by 1789 we find the line used exactly as it is today in the novel The Relapse: “Tho’ this was a confounded lie, my friend, ‘all is fair in love and war’.”
Synonyms
Adjective
- bright
- clear
- cloudless
- sunny
- sunshiny
- unclouded
Noun (1)
- display
- exhibit
- exhibition
- expo
- exposition
- show
Adverb
- clean
- cleanly
- fairly
- legally
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective "You boys not looking for any trouble, are you?" The question was fair. Millat's Crew looked like trouble. —Zadie Smith, White Teeth, (2000) 2001 "I have a good relationship with both Eddie and David. I think they've been fair to me." —Joni Mitchell, quoted in Rolling Stone, 30 May 1991 Everybody out, the Iraqis said, except CNN. Even CNN isn't sure why they made that decision. Perhaps it is because CNN alone is seen globally. What the Iraqis told us is that they had found our coverage since August to have been "fair." —Peter Arnett, Washington Post, 25-31 Mar. 1991 That's a fair question, and it deserves an honest reply. He is known as a very fair man. I try to be fair to my children. He claims that the competition wasn't fair. It's not fair that she gets to leave early and I don't. a fair and impartial jury a bargain that is fair to everyone “What a bad movie!” “Be fair! Parts of it are actually pretty funny.” I can't say I liked the movie, but, to be fair, parts of it are pretty funny. She did poorly on the test, but, to be fair, so did a lot of other people. Noun (1) At night the sparkling lights, hurdy-gurdy music of the merry-go-round, excited children, and screams of the riders on the roller coaster that races overhead recall the gaiety of a carnival midway at a county fair. —Witold Rybczynski, Atlantic, May 1993 Back at the street fair, in the smoky heat among vendors of souvenirs and street food, a flock of kids dances around a boom box playing Lionel Richie. —Barbara Kingsolver, New York Times Magazine, 12 Sept. 1993 "Do you like to go out? You know, party?" "Who doesn't?" "Well, the Ebony Fashion Fair is in three weeks. You want to go?" —Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992 Adverb we expect everyone on this basketball court to play fair it fair takes your breath away when you find out what properties in London are going for See More
Zadie Smith, White Teeth, (2000) 2001 "I have a good relationship with both Eddie and David. I think they've been fair to me." —Joni Mitchell, quoted in Rolling Stone, 30 May 1991 Everybody out, the Iraqis said, except CNN. Even CNN isn't sure why they made that decision. Perhaps it is because CNN alone is seen globally. What the Iraqis told us is that they had found our coverage since August to have been "fair." —Peter Arnett, Washington Post, 25-31 Mar. 1991 That's a fair question, and it deserves an honest reply. He is known as a very fair man. I try to be fair to my children. He claims that the competition wasn't fair. It's not fair that she gets to leave early and I don't. a fair and impartial jury a bargain that is fair to everyone “What a bad movie!” “Be fair! Parts of it are actually pretty funny.” I can't say I liked the movie, but, to be fair, parts of it are pretty funny. She did poorly on the test, but, to be fair, so did a lot of other people. Noun (1) At night the sparkling lights, hurdy-gurdy music of the merry-go-round, excited children, and screams of the riders on the roller coaster that races overhead recall the gaiety of a carnival midway at a county fair. —Witold Rybczynski, Atlantic, May 1993 Back at the street fair, in the smoky heat among vendors of souvenirs and street food, a flock of kids dances around a boom box playing Lionel Richie. —Barbara Kingsolver, New York Times Magazine, 12 Sept. 1993 "Do you like to go out? You know, party?" "Who doesn't?" "Well, the Ebony Fashion Fair is in three weeks. You want to go?" —Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992 Adverb we expect everyone on this basketball court to play fair it fair takes your breath away when you find out what properties in London are going for See More Recent Examples on the WebKyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 15 Feb. 2023 To be fair, Shopify’s bounce comes after an outsized drop – even in the tech sector. —Geoffrey Morgan, Bloomberg.com, 14 Feb. 2023 To be fair, Musk did go out and do more or less much exactly that for electric cars and reusable rockets. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2023 So, to be fair, his dishes went in one sink and mine in another. —Marisa Kashino, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, none of us are fortune tellers, and predicting sudden market changes, new regulations and other unforeseeable factors is an impossible task. —Greg Coticchia, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, the flood warnings, which have been in place since 2018, save lives, as Google points out. —Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, few singers could hope to live up to that level of hype. —Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Feb. 2023 To be fair, the Academy could not have had the previous all-time Grammy winner on hand to honor Beyoncé. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 Feb. 2023 Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2023 The fair also includes a focus section spotlighting galleries that have been in operation for 12 years or fewer. —Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2023 For 2023, the fair has extended dates giving visitors an extra day to browse. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023 In addition to the standard ticketing during the day, the fair also consists of two special ticketed evenings. —Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 27 Jan. 2023 The fair also coincides with Monster Bulls (Feb. 11) and Silver Spurs Rodeo (Feb. 17-19). —Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2023 The enrollment fair included more than 30 schools, most from the IPS district but also some from Warren Township. —Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Jan. 2023 Now in its 20th year, Miami Art Week’s flagship fair is bigger than ever: 283 premier galleries from 38 countries and territories are presenting, with 26 participating for the first time. —Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Nov. 2022 The free fair also features art objects and live music. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2022 Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 14 July 2022 Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Sep. 2022 The measures aren’t likely to fair well in the U.S. Senate. —Brooke Baitinger, Sun Sentinel, 9 June 2022 These freezes often kill off other spiders, but the Joro spider may fair better in colder environments. —Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 4 Mar. 2022 Companies who understand this are poised to fair better in today’s competitive market for talent. —Dr. Angela Jackson, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022 Venezuelans applying for asylum in Miami tend to fair well in the city’s immigration courts, Allen said, receiving approval at a much higher rate than other nationalities. —Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2021 Keynote speaker is Steve Barbeaux of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, who will describe how unprecedented warming in the Gulf of Alaska caused a cod crash in 2018 and a fishery shutdown in 2020, and how the stock might fair in a warming world. —Anchorage Daily News, 13 Apr. 2021 And since non-asteroid-belt asteroids don't tend to fair well in independent orbits, the researchers predict Itokawa will either break apart or collide with Earth within the next million years. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2018 See More
Adjective
To be fair, a balloon is an unlikely attack mechanism for initiating a surprise nuclear war. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 15 Feb. 2023 To be fair, Shopify’s bounce comes after an outsized drop – even in the tech sector. —Geoffrey Morgan, Bloomberg.com, 14 Feb. 2023 To be fair, Musk did go out and do more or less much exactly that for electric cars and reusable rockets. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2023 So, to be fair, his dishes went in one sink and mine in another. —Marisa Kashino, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, none of us are fortune tellers, and predicting sudden market changes, new regulations and other unforeseeable factors is an impossible task. —Greg Coticchia, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, the flood warnings, which have been in place since 2018, save lives, as Google points out. —Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 13 Feb. 2023 To be fair, few singers could hope to live up to that level of hype. —Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 12 Feb. 2023 To be fair, the Academy could not have had the previous all-time Grammy winner on hand to honor Beyoncé. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 Feb. 2023 Noun
During the fair, the LAFC will hold two soccer clinics — one on Thursday, one on Sunday — accommodating about 40 participants each. —Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2023 The fair also includes a focus section spotlighting galleries that have been in operation for 12 years or fewer. —Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2023 For 2023, the fair has extended dates giving visitors an extra day to browse. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023 In addition to the standard ticketing during the day, the fair also consists of two special ticketed evenings. —Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 27 Jan. 2023 The fair also coincides with Monster Bulls (Feb. 11) and Silver Spurs Rodeo (Feb. 17-19). —Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2023 The enrollment fair included more than 30 schools, most from the IPS district but also some from Warren Township. —Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Jan. 2023 Now in its 20th year, Miami Art Week’s flagship fair is bigger than ever: 283 premier galleries from 38 countries and territories are presenting, with 26 participating for the first time. —Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Nov. 2022 The free fair also features art objects and live music. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2022 Adverb
Currently, two large-scale renovation projects are in the works to make the fair-going experience safer and more enjoyable for guests, Black said. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 14 July 2022 Verb
The biggest talking point heading into Sunday’s race, was how the field would fair in what points-leader Power called maybe the worst Turn 1s in the series. —Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Sep. 2022 The measures aren’t likely to fair well in the U.S. Senate. —Brooke Baitinger, Sun Sentinel, 9 June 2022 These freezes often kill off other spiders, but the Joro spider may fair better in colder environments. —Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 4 Mar. 2022 Companies who understand this are poised to fair better in today’s competitive market for talent. —Dr. Angela Jackson, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022 Venezuelans applying for asylum in Miami tend to fair well in the city’s immigration courts, Allen said, receiving approval at a much higher rate than other nationalities. —Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2021 Keynote speaker is Steve Barbeaux of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, who will describe how unprecedented warming in the Gulf of Alaska caused a cod crash in 2018 and a fishery shutdown in 2020, and how the stock might fair in a warming world. —Anchorage Daily News, 13 Apr. 2021 And since non-asteroid-belt asteroids don't tend to fair well in independent orbits, the researchers predict Itokawa will either break apart or collide with Earth within the next million years. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, Verb, and Noun (2)
Middle English fager, fair, from Old English fæger; akin to Old High German fagar beautiful
Noun (1)
Middle English feire, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin feria weekday, fair, from Late Latin, festal day, from Latin feriae (plural) holidays — more at feast
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1635, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun (2)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing fair
Kids Definition
fair
1 of 3 adjective ˈfa(ə)r
ˈfe(ə)r
1
: attractive in appearance : beautiful
our fair city
2
a
: clean entry 1 sense 2, pure
fair sparkling water
b
: clear entry 1 sense 3, legible
make a fair copy
3
: not stormy or cloudy
fair weather
4
a
: unbiased, just
wanted fair treatment
b
: observing the rules : allowed
fair play
c
: open to lawful pursuit or attack
fair game
5
a
: promising, likely
a fair chance of winning
b
: favorable to a ship's course
a fair wind
6
: not dark
fair skin
7
: neither good nor bad
did a fair job
fairness noun
fair
2 of 3 adverb : in a fair manner
play fair
fair
3 of 3 noun1
: a gathering of buyers and sellers for trade
2
: an exhibition (as of farm products) usually with accompanying entertainment, amusements, and competitions
3
: a sale of articles usually for a charitable purpose
Legal Definition
fair
adjective1
: characterized by honesty and justice : free from self-interest, deception, injustice, or favoritism
a fair and impartial tribunal
2
: reasonable as a basis for exchange
a fair wage
a fair valuation
3
: consistent with merit or importance
fair and just compensation for the injuries
4
: conforming with established laws or standards : being in accordance with a person's rights under the law
fair judicial process
fairly adverb
fairness noun
for fair
phrase
as in well
to a full extent or degree The competition has started for fair. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- well
- perfectly
- wide
- thoroughly
- all over
- all of
- completely
- out
- full
- all
- enough
- fast
- entire
- fully
- quite
- entirely
- exactly
- dead
- totally
- flat
- utterly
- through and through
- altogether
- all the way
- wholly
- in whole
- down to the ground
- even
- heartily
- soundly
- to bits
- to pieces
- to the max
- plumb
- clean
- absolutely
- at length
- largely
- plain
- cold
- generally
- primarily
- basically
- mostly
- more or less
- principally
- substantially
- downright
- overall
- to the hilt
- mainly
- hands down
- predominantly
- greatly
- by and large
- categorically
- chiefly
- stone
- predominately
- unqualifiedly
- stone-cold
- generously
- abundantly
- copiously
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- part
- half
- just
- kind of
- partially
- partly
- hardly
- halfway
- slightly
- barely
- scarcely
- somewhat
- approximately
- roughly
- incompletely
- marginally
- superficially
- minimally