Meaning of the word fair

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɛə/, /fɛː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɛɚ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /feː(ə)/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /fɪə/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophone: fare

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”).

Cognate with Scots fayr, fare (“fair”), Danish feir, faver, fager (“fair, pretty”), Norwegian fager (“fair, pretty”), Swedish fager (“fair, pretty”), Icelandic fagur (“beautiful, fair”), Umbrian pacer (“gracious, merciful, kind”), Slovak pekný (“good-looking, handsome, nice”). See also peace.

Adjective[edit]

fair (comparative fairer, superlative fairest)

2. (archaic or literary) Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.

   Synonyms: beautiful, pretty, lovely

   Monday’s child is fair of face.

   There was once a knight who wooed a fair young maid.

   • 1460-1500, The Towneley Playsː

     He is so fair, without lease, he seems full well to sit on this.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 6:2, column 1:

     That the ſonnes of God ſaw the daughters of men, that they were faire, and they took them wiues, of all which they choſe.

   • 1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Champion and Chief”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1917, →OCLC, page 96:

     «It was a purely scientific research party sent out by my father’s father, the Jeddak of Helium, to rechart the air currents, and to take atmospheric density tests,» replied the fair prisoner, in a low, well-modulated voice.

   • 2010, Stephan Grundy, Beowulf (Fiction), iUniverse, →ISBN, page 33:

     And yet he was also, though many generations separated them, distant cousin to the shining eoten-main Geard, whom the god Frea Ing had seen from afar and wedded; and to Scatha, the fair daughter of the old thurse Theasa, who had claimed a husband from among the gods as weregild for her father’s slaying: often, it was said, the ugliest eotens would sire the fairest maids.

4. Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.

   Synonyms: pure, clean, neat

   one’s fair name

   After scratching out and replacing various words in the manuscript, he scribed a fair copy to send to the publisher.

   • 1605, The Booke of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, London: Robert Barker, “The order for the administration of the Lords Supper, or holy Communion,”^[1]

     The Table hauing at the Communion time a faire white linnen cloth vpon it, shall stand in the body of the Church, or in the Chancell, where Morning prayer and Euening prayer be appointed to be said.

   • 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, London, Observation 21, “Of Moss, and several other small vegetative Substances,” p. 135,^[2]

     […] I have observ’d, that putting fair Water (whether Rain-water or Pump-water, or May-dew, or Snow-water, it was almost all one) I have often observ’d, I say, that this Water would, with a little standing, tarnish and cover all about the sides of the Glass that lay under water, with a lovely green […]

6. Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond hair.

   Synonym: pale

   She had fair hair and blue eyes.

   • 1677, Matthew Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature, page 200

     the northern people large and fair-complexioned

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. In complexion fair, and with blue or gray eyes, he was tall as any Viking, as broad in the shoulder.

8. Just, equitable.

   Synonyms: honest, just, equitable

   He must be given a fair trial.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     “[…] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

10. Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.

    Synonyms: OK, okay

    Their performance has been only fair.

    The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.

    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 3, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients:

      My hopes wa’n’t disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that ‘twouldn’t be a bad idee to get a lot more, take ’em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle ’em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.

    • 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, Olympia Press:

      The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance.

12. (nautical, of a wind) Favorable to a ship’s course.

    • 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 563”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], volume (please specify the volume), Shammar edition, [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC:

      I shipped with them and becoming friends, we set forth on our venture, in health and safety; and sailed with a fair wind, till we came to a city called Madínat-al-Sín; […]

14. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.

    a fair sky;  a fair day

    • 1909, Frank R. Stockton, The adventures of Captain Horn Chapter 42

      They had good weather and tolerably fair winds, and before they entered the Straits of Magellan the captain had formulated a plan for the disposition of Garta.

16. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.

    a fair mark;  in fair sight;  a fair view

    • c. 1610?, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War:

      The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.

18. (shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
20. (baseball) Between the baselines.
22. (rugby, of a catch) Taken direct from an opponent’s foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.
24. (cricket, of a ball delivered by the bowler) Not a no ball.
26. (statistics) Of a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

fair (plural fair)

1. Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).

   When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?

2. (obsolete) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.
   • 1744, Georg Friedrich Händel, Hercules, act 2, scene 8

     Love and Hymen, hand in hand,
     Come, restore the nuptial band!
     And sincere delights prepare
     To crown the hero and the fair.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     Here Jones, having ordered a servant to show a room above stairs, was ascending, when the dishevelled fair, hastily following, was laid hold on by the master of the house, who cried, “Heyday, where is that beggar wench going? Stay below stairs, I desire you.”

   • 1821 August 8, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, Cantos III, IV, and V, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, canto III, stanza 24:

     If single, probably his plighted Fair
     Has in his absence wedded some rich miser  […].

3. (obsolete) Fairness, beauty.

   • c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     My decayed fair

4. A fair woman; a sweetheart.
   • 1743, William Shenstone, A Pastoral Ballad

     I have found out a gift for my fair.

5. (obsolete) Good fortune; good luck.

   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Now, fair befall thee, good Petruchio!

Verb[edit]

fair (third-person singular simple present fairs, present participle fairing, simple past and past participle faired)

2. (transitive) To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).
3. (transitive) To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).
4. (transitive, art) To make an animation smooth, removing any jerkiness.
   • 1996, Computer Animation ’96: June 3-4, 1996, Geneva, Switzerland (page 136)

     Since the sequence of data contain sampling noises, the captured motion is not smooth and wiggles along the moving path. There are well-known fairing algorithms in Euclidean space based on difference geometry.

5. (transitive) To construct or design with the aim of producing a smooth outline or reducing air drag or water resistance.
   • 1920, Technical Report of the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (page 206)

     Two forward cars were provided with the model. One of these (shown detached in Fig. 1) was faired at its after end, with a view to possible reduction of head resistance, and to induce a better flow of air to the propeller.

6. (transitive, obsolete) To make fair or beautiful.

Synonyms[edit]

• (to reduce air drag or water resistance): to streamline

Derived terms[edit]

• fair off
• fair up
• fairing

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

fair (comparative more fair or fairer, superlative most fair or fairest)

1. clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably

Derived terms[edit]

• bid fair
• fair and square

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English feyre, from Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.

Noun[edit]

fair (plural fairs)

1. A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.
2. An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o’clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers’ barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one’s eyes ache, the men’s voices grated harshly, and the girls’ faces saddened one.

3. An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.
4. A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• fair at OneLook Dictionary Search
• fair in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “fair”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams[edit]

• RIFA, fiar, rifa-

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fɛːr/
• Hyphenation: fair

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from English fair, from Middle English fayr, from Old English fæġer, from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz.

Adjective[edit]

fair (comparative fairer, superlative fairst)

1. (colloquial, affected) fair (just, honest, equitable, adequate).

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of fair
uninflected	fair
inflected	faire
comparative	fairder
	positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial	fair	fairder	het fairst het fairste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	faire	fairdere	fairste
n. sing.	fair	fairder	fairste
plural	faire	fairdere	fairste
definite	faire	fairdere	fairste
partitive	fairs	fairders	—

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from English fair, from Middle English feyre, from Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.

Noun[edit]

fair m (plural fairs)

1. A fair (social event, type of market).

   Synonyms: braderie, jaarmarkt

2. (rare) A funfair, carnival.

   Synonyms: foor, kermis

[edit]

• foor

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fair, from Old English fæġer, from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz, whence also Middle High German vager (“splendid, wonderful”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fɛːr/, [fɛːɐ̯], [feːɐ̯], [fɛɐ̯]
• Hyphenation: fair

Adjective[edit]

fair (strong nominative masculine singular fairer, comparative fairer, superlative am fairsten)

1. (especially sports) fair (just, honest, equitable, adequate)

   Synonyms: anständig, ehrlich, gerecht, gleich, ausgeglichen, angemessen, sauber

   Antonym: unfair

   ein faires Spiel ― an honest game, a fairly played game

   Unsere einzige Möglichkeit, fair zu sein, besteht darin, alle gleich schlecht zu behandeln.

   The only way we can be fair is by treating everybody equally badly.

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

• Fairness (rarely Fairheit)
• Fairplay
• Fair-Use-Doktrin

Further reading[edit]

• “fair” in Duden online
• “fair” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Haitian Creole[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French to do.

Verb[edit]

fair

1. (Saint-Domingue) to do

   Ly doi fair nion l’autre quichoy avant cila là. ― He should do another thing before that one.

Descendants[edit]

• Haitian Creole: fè

References[edit]

• S.J Ducoeurjoly, Manuel des habitans de Saint-Domingue, contenant un précis de l’histoire de cette île

Hungarian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English fair.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈfɛr], [ˈfɛːr]
• Hyphenation: fair
• Rhymes: -ɛr

Adjective[edit]

fair (comparative fairebb, superlative legfairebb)

1. fair (just, equitable)

   Synonyms: méltányos, tisztességes, becsületes, igazságos, korrekt, sportszerű

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	fair	fairek
accusative	fairt	faireket
dative	fairnek	faireknek
instrumental	fairrel	fairekkel
causal-final	fairért	fairekért
translative	fairré	fairekké
terminative	fairig	fairekig
essive-formal	fairként	fairekként
essive-modal	fairül	—
inessive	fairben	fairekben
superessive	fairen	faireken
adessive	fairnél	faireknél
illative	fairbe	fairekbe
sublative	fairre	fairekre
allative	fairhez	fairekhez
elative	fairből	fairekből
delative	fairről	fairekről
ablative	fairtől	fairektől
non-attributive possessive — singular	fairé	faireké
non-attributive possessive — plural	fairéi	fairekéi

Derived terms[edit]

• fair play
• fairül

Further reading[edit]

• fair in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

See aire (“watching, attention”)

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [fˠaɾʲ]

Verb[edit]

fair (present analytic faireann, future analytic fairfidh, verbal noun faire, past participle fairthe)

1. to watch

Conjugation[edit]

Mutation[edit]

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
fair	fhair	bhfair
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old Irish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• foir

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [farʲ]

Pronoun[edit]

fair

1. third-person singular masculine/neuter accusative of for

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English fair.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fɛr/
• Rhymes: -ɛr
• Syllabification: fair

Adjective[edit]

fair (not comparable)

1. fair (just, equitable)

   Synonym: uczciwy

Declension[edit]

Indeclinable.

Adverb[edit]

fair (not comparable)

1. fairly (in a fair manner)

   Synonym: uczciwie

[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• fair in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• fair in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s actually not fair.


—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2023




To be fair, the employee in the booth was working hard and efficiently with motorists.


—Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2023




To be fair, HIMARS will in a few years match this range, as new GMLRS-ER variant of its 227-millimeter rocket enters production this year.


—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 11 Apr. 2023




His assessment isn’t fair.


—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023




For a guy with his profile, skills, and speed, the pay is fair.


—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023




To be fair, the college football movie landscape is a bit barren, but there remains one true champion.


—Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 8 Apr. 2023




To be fair, there are a lot of obstacles standing between her and her deadline.


—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2023




Robert Weisberg, another Stanford law professor and co-director of the Criminal Justice Center, said prosecutors and other lawyers should generally refrain from blanket challenges to judges and instead should use the law when there is evidence that a judge cannot be fair in a particular case.


—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Apr. 2023

Below, find Vogue’s highlights from the fair, which runs through March 26.


—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023




To register for the housing fair, go to harfordcountymd.gov/244/Housing-Community-Development.


—Katia Parks, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2023




This event will include live music, wildlife shows, recycling performances, interactive children’s games, guest speakers, live music, a reuse fair, raffle and giveaways.


—Staff Report, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023




Three generations of the Ballard family have participated in the fair‘s pageant.


—Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2023




There are just two others main stage shows that need to be announced for the 2023 fair, running Aug. 3 to 13.


—Journal Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023




Hosting an internal career fair allows staff members from across departments and functions to learn more about one another and available career paths.


—Lisa Shuster, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023




Unfortunately, the 16-inch-tall sculpture would not make it through the fair’s VIP preview night.


—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023




The international art fair boasts a large party scene in addition to its artistic explosion.


—Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 27 Jan. 2023

And the four-legged robots were seen trotting around the grounds at International Defense Exhibition and Conference, an arms fair held every two years in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.


—Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2023




However, one Russian magazine at the arms fair printed an English edition that carried photos of Sheikh Mohammed smiling and shaking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hand during an earlier visit to Moscow.


—Jon Gambrell, ajc, 21 Feb. 2023




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

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

What does the word fair mean?

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and Collins English Dictionary, the word fair has a plethora of different definitions in American English. As an adjective, the word fair can mean to be smooth, favourable to the passage of a vessel, even or regular, without sudden change of direction, or light in skin tone. This smooth outline usually describes the curvature of surfaces, water lines, and other foul lines, as well as the figure of a vessel. The word fair also means objective or impartial, as well as reasonable, right or just. It can also be used to mean free of obstacles or hindrances. Many things can be fair, including a fair sight, fair mark, fair view, fair day, fair referee, fair copy, fair wage, fair name, fair sky, fair crack of the whip, fair shake, fair decision, and more. As a noun, a fair can refer to a carnival, sideshows, or a gathering at a specific place and time for buying and selling goods, like a farmer’s market.

According to Your Dictionary, the word fair can also mean to design or construct a structure for which the primary function is to produce a smooth outline or reduce air drag or water resistance. Fair is one syllable, and the pronunciation of fair is fɛər.

There are many different words and phrases that are derived from the word fair. These are listed below, from Word Sense.

•  fair off
•  fair cop
•  fair-weather friend
•  fair copy
•  fair up
•  fairing
•  all’s fair in love and war
•  faired
•  fair go
•  fair sex
•  fair and square
•  funfair
•  to be fair
•  fair play
•  fair use
•  fair to middling

What is the origin of the word fair?

According to Your Dictionary, the word fair has been used since the Middle English faire. This comes from the Old French feire and Medieval Latin festus, feria and the Late Latin fēria sing. Originally, this was the Latin fēriae holidays, or dhēs- in Indo-European roots. This word can be compared to the Old English fæger lovely, Middle English fayr, feir, and fager from Old English fæġer, and the Proto-Germanic fagraz, which also stemmed the Scots fayr, fare, Old High German fagar, Old Norse fagr, Gothic fagrs, Old Saxon Danish feir, faver, fager, Norwegian fager, Swedish fager, Icelandic fagur, Umbrian pacer, and Slovak pekný.

How can the word fair be used in a sentence?

The word fair can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to remember their definitions.  You can also try making flashcards and quizzes to test your base knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! 

The travelling entertainment stopped at festivals and fairs around the country for the sale of goods, antiques, craft, and livestock, games of skill, as well as the competitive exhibition of farm products and baking for a blue ribbon prize. The religious festival drew a gathering of buyers and sellers in each county, and the exposition was very profitable for the exhibitors. The townspeople couldn’t wait for the traveling show to return the next year. 

The fair feast lay before the baseball players after their game, and they gobbled it up as quickly as they arrived.

The students at Princeton University found it an unfair injustice that the students were not punished for cheating. If they could practice deception and get away with it, why wouldn’t others choose the same at the next junction?

It was a fair day outside. It was slightly overcast, but the air had a fresh quality that made it perfect for a morning walk.

The professionals viewed the fair as a business opportunity. They wanted to sell their new products, but were denied when they refused to give a portion of the proceeds to the benefit of a charity the fair was supporting.

The rivet holes were in a fair position, and in perfect alignment for the structural members.

What are synonyms and antonyms of fair?

There are many different words and phrases that a person can use in place of the word fair (n/v/adj/adv). These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as the word fair. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your English vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms of fair is provided by Power Thesaurus.

•  delightful
•  passable
•  ravishing
•  fairly
•  satisfactory
•  beauteous
•  even-handed
•  right
•  blond
•  charming
•  carnival
•  adequate
•  good
•  equitable
•  reasonable
•  just
•  middling
•  impartial
•  attractive
•  straight
•  upright
•  respectable
•  average
•  clean
•  unprejudiced
•  foxy
•  clear
•  good-looking
•  proper
•  bazaar
•  unbiased
•  exquisite
•  bonny
•  mediocre
•  blonde
•  tolerable
•  stunning
•  handsome
•  acceptable
•  sightly
•  excellent
•  honest
•  decent
•  all right
•  gorgeous
•  alluring
•  fine
•  appealing
•  comely
•  lovely

There are also plenty of words that have the opposite meaning of the word fair. These are called antonyms, which are another great way to expand your knowledge of the English language. These antonyms of fair are also provided by Power Thesaurus. 

•  unreasonable
•  unsatisfactory
•  inequitable
•  dreadful
•  biased
•  dark
•  unsightly
•  rough
•  royal
•  poor
•  horrible
•  partial
•  awful
•  unfair
•  unattractive
•  prejudiced
•  ugly
•  sinful
•  appalling
•  grotesque
•  vile
•  wrong
•  insufficient
•  repulsive
•  illegitimate
•  inferior
•  invalid
•  hideous
•  unjust
•  improper
•  bad
•  homely
•  repellent
•  disgusting
•  cloudy
•  incorrect
•  unappealing
•  dishonest
•  inclement
•  foul
•  shameful
•  greedy
•  inappropriate
•  unacceptable
•  unlovely
•  unhandsome
•  inadequate
•  unpleasant
•  stormy
•  ill-favored

Overall, the word fair has many different meanings as an adjective, noun and verb. This is of Anglo-French and Latin origins.

Sources:

1. fair: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
2. Fair synonyms – 3 674 Words and Phrases for Fair | Power Thesaurus 
3. Fair antonyms – 2 351 Opposites of Fair | Power Thesaurus 
4. Fair definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
5. Fair Meaning | Best 74 Definitions of Fair | Your Dictionary

fair

just; light in color; moderately good; an exhibition

Not to be confused with:

fare – to get along; food; cost of transportation

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

fair ¹

 (fâr)

adj. fair·er, fair·est

1. Of pleasing appearance, especially because of a pure or fresh quality; comely.

2.

a. Light in color, especially blond: fair hair.

b. Of light complexion: fair skin.

3. Free of clouds or storms; clear and sunny: fair skies.

4. Free of blemishes or stains; clean and pure: one’s fair name.

5. Promising; likely: We’re in a fair way to succeed.

6.

a. Having or exhibiting a disposition that is free of favoritism or bias; impartial: a fair mediator.

b. Just to all parties; equitable: a compromise that is fair to both factions.

7. Being in accordance with relative merit or significance: She wanted to receive her fair share of the proceeds.

8. Consistent with rules, logic, or ethics: a fair tactic.

9. Moderately good; acceptable or satisfactory: gave only a fair performance of the play; in fair health.

10. Superficially true or appealing; specious: Don’t trust his fair promises.

11. Lawful to hunt or attack: fair game.

12. Archaic Free of all obstacles.

adv.

1. In a proper or legal manner: playing fair.

2. Directly; straight: a blow caught fair in the stomach.

tr.v. faired, fair·ing, fairs

To join (pieces) so as to be smooth, even, or regular: faired the aircraft’s wing into the fuselage.

n.

1. Archaic A beautiful or beloved woman.

2. Obsolete Loveliness; beauty.

Phrasal Verb:

fair off (or up)

Chiefly Southern US To become clear. Used of weather.

Idioms:

fair and square

Just and honest.

for fair

To the greatest or fullest extent possible: Our team was beaten for fair in that tournament.

no fair

Something contrary to the rules: That was no fair.

---

[Middle English, from Old English fæger, lovely, pleasant.]

---

fair′ness n.

Synonyms: fair¹, just¹, equitable, impartial, unprejudiced, unbiased, objective
These adjectives mean free from favoritism, self-interest, or preference in judgment. Fair is the most general: a fair referee; a fair deal. Just stresses conformity with what is legally or ethically right or proper: «a just and lasting peace» (Abraham Lincoln).
Equitable implies justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair: an equitable distribution of gifts among the children. Impartial emphasizes lack of favoritism: «the cold neutrality of an impartial judge» (Edmund Burke).
Unprejudiced means without preconceived opinions or judgments: an unprejudiced evaluation of the proposal. Unbiased implies absence of a preference or partiality: gave an unbiased account of her family problems. Objective implies detachment that permits impersonal observation and judgment: an objective jury. See Also Synonyms at average, beautiful.

Our Living Language American folk speech puts Standard English to shame in its wealth of words for describing weather conditions. When the weather goes from fair to cloudy, New Englanders say that it’s «breedin’ up a storm» (Maine informant in the Linguistic Atlas of New England). If the weather is clear, however, a New Englander might call it open. Southern fair off and fair up, meaning «to become clear,» were originally Northeastern terms and were brought to the South as settlement expanded southward and westward. They are now «regionalized to the South,» according to Craig M. Carver, author of American Regional Dialects. These phrases may have prompted the coining of milding and milding down, noted respectively in Texas and Virginia by the Dictionary of American Regional English.

---

fair ²

 (fâr)

n.

1. A gathering held at a specified time and place for the buying and selling of goods; a market.

2. An exhibition, as of farm products or manufactured goods, usually accompanied by various competitions and entertainments: a state fair.

3. An exhibition intended to inform people about a product or business opportunity: a computer fair; a job fair.

4. An event, usually for the benefit of a charity or public institution, including entertainment and the sale of goods; a bazaar: a church fair.

---

[Middle English faire, from Old French feire, from Late Latin fēria, sing. of Latin fēriae, holidays; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fair

(fɛə)

adj

1. free from discrimination, dishonesty, etc; just; impartial

2. in conformity with rules or standards; legitimate: a fair fight.

3. (of the hair or complexion) light in colour

4. beautiful or lovely to look at

5. moderately or quite good: a fair piece of work.

6. unblemished; untainted

7. (Nautical Terms) (of the tide or wind) favourable to the passage of a vessel

8. (Physical Geography) sunny, fine, or cloudless

9. (prenominal) informal thorough; real: a fair battle to get to the counter.

10. pleasant or courteous

11. apparently good or valuable, but really false: fair words.

12. open or unobstructed: a fair passage.

13. Austral (of handwriting) clear and legible

14. a fair crack of the whip Austral a fair shake of the dice a fair go informal a fair opportunity; fair chance

15. fair and square in a correct or just way

16. fair do’s

a. equal shares or treatment

b. an expression of appeal for equal shares or treatment

17. fair enough! an expression of agreement

18. fair go! informal Austral and NZ come off it!; I don’t believe it!

19. fair to middling about average

adv

20. in a fair way; correctly: act fair, now!.

21. absolutely or squarely; quite: the question caught him fair off his guard.

22. dialect really or very: fair tired.

vb

(intr) dialect (of the weather) to become fine and mild

n

archaic a person or thing that is beautiful or valuable, esp a woman

[Old English fæger; related to Old Norse fagr, Old Saxon, Old High German fagar, Gothic fagrs suitable]

ˈfairness n

---

fair

(fɛə)

n

1. a travelling entertainment with sideshows, rides, etc, esp one that visits places at the same time each year

2. (Commerce) a gathering of producers of and dealers in a given class of products to facilitate business: a book fair.

3. an event including amusements and the sale of goods, esp for a charity; bazaar

4. a regular assembly at a specific place for the sale of goods, esp livestock

[C13: from Old French feire, from Late Latin fēria holiday, from Latin fēriae days of rest: related to festus festal]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fair¹

(fɛər)

adj. and
adv. fair•er, fair•est.

1. free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice.

2. legitimately sought, done, given, etc.; proper under the rules: a fair fight.

3. moderately large; ample: a fair income.

4. neither excellent nor poor; moderately or tolerably good: fair health.

5.

a. (of the sky) bright; sunny; cloudless to half-cloudy.

b. (of the weather) fine; with no prospect of rain, snow, or hail; not stormy.

6. of a light hue; not dark: fair skin.

7. pleasing in appearance; attractive: a fair young maiden.

8. (of a wind or tide) tending to aid the progress of a vessel.

9. marked by favoring conditions; likely; promising: in a fair way to succeed.

10. without irregularity or unevenness: a fair surface.

11. free from blemish.

12. courteous; civil: fair words.

adv.

13. in a fair manner: He doesn’t play fair.

14. favorably; auspiciously.

n.

15. Archaic. something that is fair.

16. Archaic.

a. a woman.

b. a beloved woman.

v.t.

17. to draw and adjust (the lines of a ship’s hull being designed) to produce regular surfaces of the correct form.

Idioms:

1. bid fair, to seem likely: This entry bids fair to win first prize.

2. fair and square,

a. honestly; justly.

b. honest; just; straightforward.

3. fair to middling, only tolerably good; so-so.

[before 900; Middle English; Old English fæger]

fair′ness, n.

syn: fair, impartial, disinterested refer to lack of bias in opinions, judgments, etc. fair implies the treating of all sides alike, justly and equitably: a fair compromise. impartial also implies showing no more favor to one side than another, but suggests particularly a judicial consideration of a case: an impartial judge. disinterested implies a fairness arising from lack of desire to obtain a selfish advantage: a disinterested concern that the best person win.

fair²

(fɛər)

n.

1. a usu. competitive exhibition of farm products, livestock, etc., often combined with entertainment and held annually by a county or state.

2. a periodic gathering of buyers and sellers in an appointed place.

3. an exposition in which different exhibitors participate, often with the purpose of buying or selling or of familiarizing the public with the products: a home-furnishings fair.

4. an exhibition and sale of articles to raise money, often for some charitable purpose.

[1300–50; Middle English feire < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin fēria religious festival, holiday (Medieval Latin: market), in Latin only pl.; akin to feast]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

fair

– carnival

1. ‘fair’

In British English, a fair is an event held in a park or field at which people pay to ride on various machines for amusement or try to win prizes in games.

…all the fun of the fair, with dodgem cars, stalls, candy floss and children’s rides.

2. ‘carnival’

In American English, an event like this is called a carnival.

It reminds me of when the carnival came to Hudson Falls, N.Y., when I was a boy.

In British English, a carnival is an outdoor public festival which is held every year in a particular place. During a carnival, music is played and people sometimes dance in the streets.

The Notting Hill Carnival in August is the largest street festival in Europe.

---

fair

– fairly

1. ‘fair’

You say that behaviour or a decision is fair when it is reasonable, right, or just.

It wouldn’t be fair to disturb the children’s education at this stage.

Do you feel they’re paying their fair share?

2. ‘fairly’

Don’t use ‘fair’ as an adverb, except in the expression play fair. If you want to say that something is done in a reasonable or just way, the word you use is fairly.

We want it to be fairly distributed.

He had not explained things fairly.

Fairly also has a completely different meaning. It means ‘to quite a large degree’.

The information was fairly accurate.

I wrote the first part fairly quickly.

Be Careful!
Don’t use ‘fairly’ in front of a comparative form. Don’t say, for example, ‘The train is fairly quicker than the bus‘. In conversation and less formal writing, you say ‘The train is a bit quicker than the bus’.

Golf’s a bit more expensive.

I began to understand her a bit better.

Be Careful!
In more formal writing, you use rather or somewhat.

In short, the problems now look rather worse than they did a year ago.

The results were somewhat lower than expected.

Many other words and expressions can be used to show degree.

---

fair

– fare

These words are both pronounced /feə/.

1. ‘fair’

Fair can be an adjective or a noun. If something is fair, it is reasonable, right, or just.

See fair — fairly

If someone is fair or has fair hair, they have light coloured hair.

My daughter has three children, and they’re all fair.

A fair is an event held in a park or field for people’s amusement.

We took the children to the fair.

2. ‘fare’

Your fare is the money you pay for a journey by bus, taxi, train, boat, or plane.

Coach fares are cheaper than rail fares.

Airline officials say they must raise fares in order to cover rising costs.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

fair

Past participle: faired
Gerund: fairing

Imperative
fair
fair

Present
I fair
you fair
he/she/it fairs
we fair
you fair
they fair

Preterite
I faired
you faired
he/she/it faired
we faired
you faired
they faired

Present Continuous
I am fairing
you are fairing
he/she/it is fairing
we are fairing
you are fairing
they are fairing

Present Perfect
I have faired
you have faired
he/she/it has faired
we have faired
you have faired
they have faired

Past Continuous
I was fairing
you were fairing
he/she/it was fairing
we were fairing
you were fairing
they were fairing

Past Perfect
I had faired
you had faired
he/she/it had faired
we had faired
you had faired
they had faired

Future
I will fair
you will fair
he/she/it will fair
we will fair
you will fair
they will fair

Future Perfect
I will have faired
you will have faired
he/she/it will have faired
we will have faired
you will have faired
they will have faired

Future Continuous
I will be fairing
you will be fairing
he/she/it will be fairing
we will be fairing
you will be fairing
they will be fairing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fairing
you have been fairing
he/she/it has been fairing
we have been fairing
you have been fairing
they have been fairing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fairing
you will have been fairing
he/she/it will have been fairing
we will have been fairing
you will have been fairing
they will have been fairing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fairing
you had been fairing
he/she/it had been fairing
we had been fairing
you had been fairing
they had been fairing

Conditional
I would fair
you would fair
he/she/it would fair
we would fair
you would fair
they would fair

Past Conditional
I would have faired
you would have faired
he/she/it would have faired
we would have faired
you would have faired
they would have faired

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

fair

carnival

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Translations

1	0   0 It is usually used at night to describe less than 3/8 opaque clouds, no precipitation, no extremes of visibility, temperature or winds. It describes generally pleasant weather conditions.

2	0   0 Fair See condition guide.

3	0   0 Fair A book in very worn condition, but all of its important parts and dust jacket (if one was issued) must be present. May be soiled with tears, endpapers missing, etc. Such defects must be noted in descriptions. Also see our page of descriptive terms.

4	0   0 Fair Old English fægere «beautifully,» from fæger «beautiful» (see fair (adj.)). From c. 1300 as «honorably;» mid-14c. as «correctly; direct;» from 1510s as » [..]

5	0   0 Fair «a stated market in a town or city; a regular meeting to buy, sell, or trade,» early 14c., from Anglo-French feyre (late 13c.), from Old French feire, faire «fair, market; feast day,&qu [..]

6	0   0 Fair Old English fæger «pleasing to the sight (of persons and body features, also of objects, places, etc.); beautiful, handsome, attractive,» of weather, «bright, clear, pleasant; not rain [..]

7	0   0 Fair /ˈfeɚ/ adjective fairer; fairest 1 fair /ˈfeɚ/ adjective fairer; fairest Learner's definition of FAIR 1  : agreeing with what is thought to be right or acceptable We received fair treatm [..]

8	0   0 Fair beautiful

9	0   0 Fair With respect to weather, generally descriptive of pleasant weather conditions, with due regard for location and time of year. It is subject to popular misinterpretation, for it is a purely subjective [..]

10	0   0 Fair fairly: in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating; "they played fairly" carnival: a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc [..]

11	0   0 Fair a place with roundabouts where you have fun. The same word also means light in colour (as in fair hair) and right or good

12	0   0 Fair  beauty.

13	0   0 Fair A description of condition used in the book trade to indicate that a copy shows definite signs of age and/or wear, such as a torn dust jacket, foxing, a loose binding, slightly dog-eared corners, etc. [..]

14	0   0 Fair worn but all pages present; may lack endpapers, half title, etc.; binding and jacket also show signs of wear; defects must be noted.

15	0   0 Fair To dream of being at a fair, denotes that you will have a pleasant and profitable business and a congenial companion. For a young woman, this dream signifies a jovial and even-tempered man for a life partner.

16	0   0 Fair 1 : characterized by honesty and justice : free from self-interest, deception, injustice, or favoritism [a and impartial tribunal] 2 : reasonable as a basis for exchange [a wage] [a valuation] 3 : …

17	0   0 Fair isle an article of clothing knitted in Fair Isle style, namely a style of knitting originating in the Shetland Islands that is characterized by bands of multicolored geometric patterns

18	0   0 Fair trustworthy, just Fault (n.)

19	0   0 Fair A market held at regular intervals, usually once to twice a year. Fairs tend to offer a wider range of goods than normal markets. They are generally licenced by either the king/a local lord or a chart [..]

20	0   0 Fair (n) a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.(n) gathering of producers to promote business(n) a competitive exhibition of farm products(n) a sale of miscellany; often f [..]

21	0   0 Fair Less than 4/10 opaque cloud cover, no precipitation, and no extremes in temperature, visibility or wind. FLASH FLOOD: A flood which is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, [..]

22	0   0 Fair Describes weather in which there is less than 4/10ths of opaque cloud cover, no precipitation, and there is no extreme visibility, wind or temperature conditions.

23	0   0 Fair mediocris, iustus

24	0   0 Fair Charles IV., King of France, le Bel (1294, 1322–1328).

25	0   0 Fair (Latin feriœ, holidays.)

26	0   0 Fair (See SLOE-FAIR.)

27	0   0 Fair (See MOP.)

28	0   0 Fair of nursery mythology is the personification of Providence. The good ones are called fairies, elves, elle-folks, and fays; the evil ones are urchins, ouphes, ell-maids, and ell-women.

29	0   0 Fair An event where employers market themselves to you! Employers have exhibition stands, often with recent graduates on hand to tell you about their company, vacancies, recruitment procedures etc.

30	0   0 Fair Treating both or all sides alike without reference to one’s own feelings or interests; just implies adherence to a standard of rightness or lawfulness without reference to one’s own inclinat [..]

31	0   0 Fair This is a subjective description. Considered as pleasant weather conditions with regard to the time of year and the physical conditions.

32	0   0 Fair Community Health Education events focused on prevention of Disease and Promotion of Health through audiovisual Exhibits.

33	0   0 Fair Favourable or unobstructed.

34	0   0 Fair To adjust to proper shape or size.

35	0   0 Fair To fair a line means to even out curves, sheer lines, deck lines etc., in drawing and mold loft work.

36	0   0 Fair A smooth curve, usually referring to a line of the hull which has no deviations. A line is fair when it has a clear run. To make something flush. A wind or current is fair when it offers an advantage [..]

37	0   0 Fair (1) In good condition. (2) To adjust to proper shape or size.

38	0   0 Fair  (1) Referring to a smooth curvature of a vessels hull. (2) To make a surface flush.

39	0   0 Fair Make a surface smooth and/or flush, or a line that runs clear of obstructions or surfaces.

40	0   0 Fair The part of the tackle that is hauled upon.

41	0   0 Fair 1. A smooth curve, usually referring to a line of the hull which has no deviations   2. In lofting, to correct a hull’s lines with the use of a batten; making them even and regular   3. To make [..]

42	0   0 Fair (1) In good condition. (2) To adjust to proper shape or size.

43	0   0 Fair It is usually used at night to describe less than 3/8 opaque clouds, no precipitation, no extremes of visibility, temperature or winds. It describes generally pleasant weather conditions.

44	0   0 Fair adj. «fair, attractive; shining; favorable; gracious; just, morally good; (as form of address) dear,» s.v. fair a. and sb.2 OED. KEY: fair@adj

45	0   0 Fair adj 301 fair 120 faire 103 fairer 17 fairere 1 fairest 4 faireste 6 fayr 19 fayre 15 fayrer 5 fayrest 1 fayreste 3 feir 5 feire 1 feyr 1

46	0   0 Fair n. «beauty; good fortune,» s.v. fair a. and sb.2 OED. KEY: fair@n

47	0   0 Fair n 4 fair 2 faire 2

48	0   0 Fair a ball hit by the batter that stays within the foul lines between first and third base.

49	0   0 Fair game shows heavy use, rough edges, split aprons, soiling, minor tears in litho, but box is still reasonably together and majority of cover litho in tact.

50	0   0 Fair It is usually used at night to describe less than 3/8 opaque clouds, no precipitation, no extremes of visibility, temperature or winds. It describes generally pleasant weather conditions.

51	0   0 Fair a special event with a theme, such as an agricultural fair, historical fair, trade fair, or World’s Fair

52	0   0 Fair Fair weather means mostly cloudy to cloudy skies, but with no precipitation.

53	0   0 Fair describes weather

54	0   0 Fair This is a subjective description. Considered as pleasant weather conditions with regard to the time of year and the physical location.

55	0   0 Fair This is a subjective description. Considered as pleasant weather

56	0   0 Fair It is usually used at night to describe less than 3/8 opaque clouds, no precipitation, no extremes of visibility, temperature or winds. It describes generally pleasant weather conditions.

57	0   0 Fair This is a subjective description. Considered as pleasant weather conditions with regard to the time of year and the physical location.

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