Definition of fairly adverb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

fairly

adverb

OPAL S

/ˈfeəli/

/ˈferli/

Idioms

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(before adjectives and adverbs) to some extent but not very
- fairly simple/easy/straightforward
- This is a fairly common problem.
- It's fairly obvious what's going on here.
- It's fairly clear that there is still room for improvement.
- That's a fairly typical reaction.
- I know him fairly well, but I wouldn't say we were really close friends.
- We'll have to leave fairly soon (= before very long).
- I'm fairly certain I can do the job.
- He was fairly sure he was right.
- I think you'll find it fairly difficult (= you do not want to say that it is very difficult).
Which Word? quite / fairly / rather / pretty
quite / fairly / rather / prettyLook at these examples:
- The exam was fairly difficult.
- The exam was quite difficult.
- The exam was rather difficult.
- Quite is a little stronger than fairly, and rather is a little stronger than quite. Rather is not very common in North American English; pretty has the same meaning and this is used in informal British English too:
  The exam was pretty difficult.
- In British English quite has two meanings:
  I feel quite tired today
  (= fairly tired). With adjectives that describe an extreme state (‘non-gradable’ adjectives) it means ‘completely’ or ‘absolutely’:
  I feel quite exhausted.
  With some adjectives, both meanings are possible. The speaker’s stress and intonation will show you which is meant:
  Your essay is quite good
  (= fairly good—it could be better);
  Your essay is quite good
  (= very good, especially when this is unexpected).
- In North American English quite usually means something like ‘very’, not ‘fairly’ or ‘rather’. Pretty is used instead for this sense.
Extra Examples
- a fairly new car
- The restaurant was fairly close to my hotel.
- The software is fairly easy to use.
- The report was fairly incomprehensible.
- I go jogging fairly regularly.
in a fair and reasonable way; honestly
- He has always treated me very fairly.
- Her attitude could fairly be described as hostile.
(old-fashioned) used to emphasize something that you are saying
- The time fairly raced by.