Adjacent Words

Fair definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FAIR, a.
1. Clear; free from spots; free from a dark hue; white; as a fair skin; a fair complexion. hence,
2. Beautiful; handsome; properly, having a handsome face.
Thou art a fair woman to look upon. Genesis 12. Hence,
3. Pleasing to the eye; handsome or beautiful in general.
Thus was be fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches. Ezek 31.
4. Clear; pure; free from feculence or extraneous matter; as fair water.
5. Clear; not cloudy or overcast; as fair weather; a fair sky.
6. Favorable; prosperous; blowing in a direction towards the place of destination; as a fair wind at sea.
7. Open; direct, as a way or passage. You are in a fair way to promotion. hence, likely to succeed. he stands as fair to succeed as any man.
8. Open to attack or access; unobstructed; as a fair mark; a fair butt; fair in sight; in fair sight; a fair view.
9. Open; frank; hones; hence, equal; just; equitable. My friend is a fair man; his offer is fair; his propositions are fair and honorable.
10. Not effected by insidious or unlawful methods; not foul.
He died a fair and natural death.
11. Frank; candid; not sophistical or insidious; as a fair disputant.
12. Honest; honorable; mild; opposed to insidious and compulsory; as, to accomplish a thing by fair means.
13. Frank; civil; pleasing; not harsh.
When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty.
14. Equitable; just; erited.
His doom is fair,
That dust I am, and shall to dust return.
15. Liberal; not narrow; as a fair livelihood.
16. Plain; legible; as, the letter is written in a fair hand.
17. Free from stain or blemish; unspotted; untarnished; as a fair character or fame.
FAIR, adv.
1. Openly; frankly; civilly; complaisantly.
One of the company spoke him fair.
2. Candidly; honestly; equitably; He promised fair.
3. Happily; successfully.
Now fair befall thee.
4. On good terms; as, to keep fair with the world; to stand fair with one's companions.
To bid fair, is to be likely, or to have a fair prospect.
Fair and square, just dealing; honesty.
FAIR, n.
1. Elliptically, a fair woman; a handsome female. The fair, the female sex.
2. Fairness; applied to things or persons. [Not used.]
FAIR, n. [L. forum, or feriae, a holiday, a day exempt from labor; Gr. to trade, whence, emporium, the primary sense of which is to pass.]
A stated market in a particular town or city; a stated meeting of buyers and sellers for trade. A fair is annual or more frequent. The privilege of holding fairs is granted by the king or supreme power. Among the most celebrated fairs in Europe are those of Frankfort and Leipsic in Germany; of Novi in the Milanese; of Riga and Archangel in Russia; of Lyons and St. Germain in France. In Great Britain many towns enjoy this privilege.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules; "a fair referee"; "fair deal"; "on a fair footing"; "a fair fight"; "by fair means or foul" [syn: fair, just] [ant: unfair, unjust]
2: not excessive or extreme; "a fairish income"; "reasonable prices" [syn: fair, fairish, reasonable]
3: very pleasing to the eye; "my bonny lass"; "there's a bonny bay beyond"; "a comely face"; "young fair maidens" [syn: bonny, bonnie, comely, fair, sightly]
4: (of a baseball) hit between the foul lines; "he hit a fair ball over the third base bag" [ant: foul]
5: lacking exceptional quality or ability; "a novel of average merit"; "only a fair performance of the sonata"; "in fair health"; "the caliber of the students has gone from mediocre to above average"; "the performance was middling at best" [syn: average, fair, mediocre, middling]
6: attractively feminine; "the fair sex"
7: (of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections; "fair copy"; "a clean manuscript" [syn: clean, fair]
8: gained or earned without cheating or stealing; "an honest wage"; "an fair penny" [syn: honest, fair]
9: free of clouds or rain; "today will be fair and warm"
10: (used of hair or skin) pale or light-colored; "a fair complexion"; [syn: fair, fairish] n
1: a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc. [syn: carnival, fair, funfair]
2: gathering of producers to promote business; "world fair"; "trade fair"; "book fair"
3: a competitive exhibition of farm products; "she won a blue ribbon for her baking at the county fair"
4: a sale of miscellany; often for charity; "the church bazaar" [syn: bazaar, fair] v
1: join so that the external surfaces blend smoothly adv
1: in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating; "they played fairly" [syn: fairly, fair, clean] [ant: below the belt, unfairly]
2: without favoring one party, in a fair evenhanded manner; "deal fairly with one another" [syn: fairly, fair, evenhandedly]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English fager, fair, from Old English fζger; akin to Old High German fagar beautiful Date: before 12th century 1. pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality 2. superficially pleasing ; specious <she trusted his fair promises> 3. a. clean, pure <fair sparkling water> b. clear, legible 4. not stormy or foul ; fine <fair weather> 5. ample <a fair estate> 6. 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> 7. a. promising, likely <in a fair way to win> b. favorable to a ship's course <a fair wind> 8. archaic free of obstacles 9. not dark <fair skin> 10. a. sufficient but not ample ; adequate <a fair understanding of the work> b. moderately numerous, large, or significant <takes a fair amount of time> 11. being such to the utmost ; utter <a fair treat to watch him — New Republic> • fairness noun Synonyms: fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side. fair implies an elimination of one's own feelings, prejudices, and desires so as to achieve a proper balance of conflicting interests <a fair decision>. just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper <a just settlement of territorial claims>. equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned <the equitable distribution of the property>. impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice <an impartial third party>. unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice <your unbiased opinion>. dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment <a dispassionate summation of the facts>. objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings <I can't be objective about my own child>. Synonym: see in addition beautiful. II. noun Date: before 12th century 1. obsolete beauty, fairness 2. something that is fair or fortunate 3. archaic woman; especially sweetheart III. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. in a fair manner <play fair> 2. chiefly British fairly 3 <fair makes you want to cry> IV. verb Date: 1819 intransitive verb of the weather clear transitive verb to join so that the external surfaces blend smoothly V. noun Etymology: 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 Date: 13th century 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

NOAA Weather Glossary

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.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj., adv., n., & v. --adj. 1 just, unbiased, equitable; in accordance with the rules. 2 blond; light or pale in colour or complexion. 3 a of (only) moderate quality or amount; average. b considerable, satisfactory (a fair chance of success). 4 (of weather) fine and dry; (of the wind) favourable. 5 clean, clear, unblemished (fair copy). 6 beautiful, attractive. 7 archaic kind, gentle. 8 a specious (fair speeches). b complimentary (fair words). 9 Austral. & NZ complete, unquestionable. --adv. 1 in a fair manner (play fair). 2 exactly, completely (was hit fair on the jaw). --n. 1 a fair thing. 2 archaic a beautiful woman. --v. 1 tr. make (the surface of a ship, aircraft, etc.) smooth and streamlined. 2 intr. dial. (of the weather) become fair. Phrases and idioms: fair and square adv. & adj. 1 exactly. 2 straightforward, honest, above-board. fair crack of the whip see CRACK. a fair deal equitable treatment. fair dos colloq. fair shares. fair enough colloq. that is reasonable or acceptable. fair game a thing or person one may legitimately pursue, exploit, etc. fair-minded just, impartial. fair-mindedly justly, impartially. fair-mindedness a sense of justice; impartiality. fair name a good reputation. fair play reasonable treatment or behaviour. fair rent the amount of rent which a tenant may reasonably be expected to pay according to established guidelines. the fair sex women. fair's fair colloq. all involved should act fairly. fair-spoken courteous. a fair treat colloq. a very enjoyable or attractive thing or person. fair-weather friend a friend or ally who is unreliable in times of difficulty. for fair US sl. completely. in a fair way to likely to. Derivatives: fairish adj. fairness n. Etymology: OE fæger f. Gmc 2. n. 1 a gathering of stalls, amusements, etc., for public (usu. outdoor) entertainment. 2 a periodical gathering for the sale of goods, often with entertainments. 3 an exhibition, esp. to promote particular products. Etymology: ME f. OF feire f. LL feria sing. f. L feriae holiday

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fair Fair, a. [Compar. Fairer; superl. Fairest.] [OE. fair, fayer, fager, AS. f[ae]ger; akin to OS. & OHG. fagar, Icel. fagr, Sw. fager, Dan. faver, Goth. fagrs fit, also to E. fay, G. f["u]gen, to fit. fegen to sweep, cleanse, and prob. also to E. fang, peace, pact, Cf. Fang, Fain, Fay to fit.] 1. Free from spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean; pure. A fair white linen cloth. --Book of Common Prayer. 2. Pleasing to the eye; handsome; beautiful. Who can not see many a fair French city, for one fair French made. --Shak. 3. Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a fair skin. The northern people large and fair-complexioned. --Sir M. Hale. 4. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; favorable; -- said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.; as, a fair sky; a fair day. You wish fair winds may waft him over. --Prior. 5. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; -- said of a road, passage, etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view. The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged. --Sir W. Raleigh. 6. (Shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; fowing; -- said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines. 7. Characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just; -- said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement. ``I would call it fair play.'' --Shak. 8. Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and confidence; -- said of words, promises, etc. When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty. --L' Estrange. 9. Distinct; legible; as, fair handwriting. 10. Free from any marked characteristic; average; middling; as, a fair specimen. The news is very fair and good, my lord. --Shak. Fair ball. (Baseball) (a) A ball passing over the home base at the height called for by the batsman, and delivered by the pitcher while wholly within the lines of his position and facing the batsman. (b) A batted ball that falls inside the foul lines; -- called also a fair hit. Fair maid. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The European pilchard (Clupea pilchardus) when dried. (b) The southern scup (Stenotomus Gardeni). [Virginia] Fair one, a handsome woman; a beauty, Fair play, equitable or impartial treatment; a fair or equal chance; justice. From fair to middling, passable; tolerable. [Colloq.] The fair sex, the female sex. Syn: Candid; open; frank; ingenuous; clear; honest; equitable; impartial; reasonable. See Candid.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fair Fair, v. t. 1. To make fair or beautiful. [Obs.] Fairing the foul. --Shak. 2. (Shipbuilding) To make smooth and flowing, as a vessel's lines.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fair Fair, n. [OE. feire, OF. feire, F. foire, fr. L. fariae, pl., days of rest, holidays, festivals, akin to festus festal. See Feast.] 1. A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for trade. 2. A festival, and sale of fancy articles. erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army fair. 3. A competitive exhibition of wares, farm products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair. After the fair, Too late. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fair Fair, adv. Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably. Fair and square, justly; honestly; equitably; impartially. [Colloq.] To bid fair. See under Bid. To speak fair, to address with courtesy and frankness. [Archaic]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fair Fair, n. 1. Fairness, beauty. [Obs.] --Shak. 2. A fair woman; a sweetheart. I have found out a gift for my fair. --Shenstone. 3. Good fortune; good luck. Now fair befall thee ! --Shak. The fair, anything beautiful; women, collectively. ``For slander's mark was ever yet the fair.'' --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fairer, fairest, fairs) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Something or someone that is fair is reasonable, right, and just. It didn't seem fair to leave out her father... Do you feel they're paying their fair share?... Independent observers say the campaign's been very much fairer than expected... An appeals court had ruled that they could not get a fair trial in Los Angeles. ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf • fairly ...demonstrating concern for employees and solving their problems quickly and fairly... In a society where water was precious, it had to be shared fairly between individuals. ADV: usu ADV after v, also ADV -ed 2. A fair amount, degree, size, or distance is quite a large amount, degree, size, or distance. My neighbours across the street travel a fair amount... My mother's brother lives a fair distance away so we don't see him and his family very often. ADJ: ADJ n 3. A fair guess or idea about something is one that is likely to be correct. It's a fair guess to say that the damage will be extensive... I have a fair idea of how difficult things can be. = reasonable ADJ: ADJ n 4. If you describe someone or something as fair, you mean that they are average in standard or quality, neither very good nor very bad. Reimar had a fair command of English. = adequate ADJ 5. Someone who is fair, or who has fair hair, has light-coloured hair. Both children were very like Robina, but were much fairer than she was. ADJ • Fair is also a combining form. ...a tall, fair-haired Englishman. COMB in ADJ 6. Fair skin is very pale and usually burns easily. It's important to protect my fair skin from the sun. ADJ • Fair is also a combining form. Fair-skinned people who spend a great deal of time in the sun have the greatest risk of skin cancer. COMB in ADJ 7. When the weather is fair, it is quite sunny and not raining. (FORMAL) Weather conditions were fair. = fine ADJ 8. A county, state, or country fair is an event where there are, for example, displays of goods and animals, and amusements, games, and competitions. N-COUNT: usu n N 9. A fair is an event at which people display and sell goods, especially goods of a particular type. ...an antiques fair. N-COUNT: oft n N see also craft fair, trade fair 10. You use fair enough when you want to say that a statement, decision, or action seems reasonable to a certain extent, but that perhaps there is more to be said or done. (mainly SPOKEN) If you don't like it, fair enough, but that's hardly a justification to attack the whole thing... PHRASE: PHR with cl 11. If you say that someone plays fair, you mean that they behave or act in a reasonable and honest way. The government is not playing fair, one union official told me. PHRASE: V inflects 12. If you say that someone won a competition fair and square, you mean that they won honestly and without cheating. There are no excuses. We were beaten fair and square. PHRASE: PHR after v

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

far: The word translated in the King James Version from 9 Hebrew and 4 Greek expressions has nowhere in the Bible the modern sense of "blond," "fair-skinned." The translation of Isa 54:11, "fair colors," refers to the cosmetic use of pukh, stibium, antimony powder, with which black margins were painted around the eyelids, so as to make the eyes appear large and dark. The stones of rebuilt Jerusalem, beautifully laid in their black mortar, are compared with such eyes. We can distinguish the following varieties of meaning:

(1) Beautiful, attractive, Tobh, yaphah, yapheh; Aramaic shappir; Septuagint kalos; in the New Testament asteios. This latter word is in both places where it is found used of Moses (Ac 7:20; Heb 11:23, the Revised Version (British and American) "goodly"), and means literally, town bred (as opposed to boorish), polite, polished in manners, urbane, then nice, pretty.

(2) Pure, free of defilement, the Revised Version (British and American) "clean," Tahor (Zec 3:5).

(3) "Fair speech," plausible, persuasive (leqah, Pr 7:21; eulalos, Sirach 6:5; compare eulogia, Ro 16:18).

(4) Making a fine display (euprosopein, Ga 6:12, "to make a fair show").

(5) Good (of weather) (zahabh, "golden," "clear," Job 37:2,2, the Revised Version (British and American) "golden splendor"); eudia (Mt 16:2).

H. L. E. Luering

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Spotless, unspotted, untarnished, unblemished, unstained. 2. White, light, blond. 3. Handsome, comely, cloudless. 4. Pleasant, clear, cloudless, unclouded. 5. Favorable, prosperous. 6. Promising, hopeful. 7. Open, distinct, plain, unobstructed, unencumbered. 8. Frank, honest, candid, ingenuous, just, honorable, upright, impartial, unbiassed. 9. Reasonable, proper, equitable, just. 10. Tolerable, passable, pretty good, more than middling, above mediocrity.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A set of subterraneous rooms in the Fleet Prison.

Moby Thesaurus

Christian, Junoesque, Mardi Gras, OK, Saturnalia, Saturnian, acceptable, accommodating, adequate, admissible, advantageous, affable, affably, agreeable, agreeably, alabaster, alabastrine, albescent, all right, amiable, amiably, amicable, amicably, amply endowed, appropriate, apt, attentive, attractive, auspicious, auto show, average, balanced, balmy, banquet, bazaar, beauteous, beautiful, becoming, beneficial, benevolent, benign, benignant, better than nothing, betwixt and between, blameless, bleached, blissful, blissfully, blond, blooming, blossoming, blowout, boat show, bon, bonny, booming, braw, bright, bright and fair, bueno, built, built for comfort, buxom, callipygian, callipygous, calm, candid, capital, carnival, charming, chaste, cheerful, cheerfully, civil, clarion, clean, cleanly, clear, clement, cloudless, cogent, comely, commendable, commercial complex, common, compatible, complaisant, condign, congenial, considerate, cordial, cordially, courteous, cream, creamy, creditable, curvaceous, curvy, dainty, decent, decipherable, defensible, deferential, delicate, deserved, deservedly, desirable, detached, dirt-free, disinterested, disinterestedly, dispassionate, dispassionately, do, dry, due, dulcet, dull, duly, dun-white, eggshell, elegant, emporium, en rapport, enchanting, enjoyable, enjoyably, equal, equally, equitable, equitably, erect, estimable, ethical, even, evenhanded, evenly, excellent, exhibit, exhibition, expedient, exposition, exquisite, exuberant, fair and pleasant, fair and square, fair to middling, fairish, fairly, famous, fastidious, fat, favorable, favoring, feast, felicific, felicitous, festival, festive occasion, festivity, fete, field day, fiesta, fine, fit, flaxen-haired, flea fair, flea market, flourishing, flowering, foreseeable, fortunate, free, fresh, fruiting, full of integrity, full of promise, gala, gala affair, gala day, genial, genially, glaucescent, glaucous, goddess-like, going strong, golden, good, good enough, good-looking, goodish, goodly, graceful, gracious, graciously, grand, grateful, gratifying, gratifyingly, gray-white, great doings, halcyon, handsome, happy, harmonious, healthy, heart-warming, helpful, high jinks, high-minded, high-principled, highly respectable, honest, honeyed, honorable, hopeful, immaculate, impartial, impartially, impersonal, impersonally, in full swing, in good case, in the cards, in the clear, indifferent, insipid, intermediate, inviolate, irreproachable, ivory, ivory-white, jamboree, just, justifiable, justifiably, justified, justifiedly, justly, kermis, kind, kindly, kosher, lackluster, laudable, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering, lawful, legal, legible, legitimate, level, liable, light, light-colored, light-hued, likable, likely, lint-white, lovely, lovely to behold, lucky, manly, market, market overt, marketplace, mart, mean, mediocre, medium, meet, meet and right, meetly, mellifluous, mellow, merited, middling, mild, moderate, modest, moral, namby-pamby, neutral, nice, noble, nonpartisan, nonpolluted, not amiss, not bad, not half bad, not so bad, objective, obliging, odds-on, of a kind, of a sort, of cleanly habits, of good omen, of happy portent, of promise, of sorts, off-white, okay, open, open market, open-minded, ordinary, pale, palmy, party, passable, pastel, pearl, pearly, pearly-white, personable, picnic, piping, placid, plaza, pleasant, pleasantly, pleasing, pleasingly, pleasurable, pleasurably, pleasure-giving, pleasureful, pneumatic, polite, predictable within limits, presentable, presumptive, pretty, pretty good, principled, probable, profitable, promising, proper, properly, propitious, prospering, prosperous, pulchritudinous, pure, rainless, rational, readable, reasonable, regal, reputable, respectable, respectful, rewarding, rialto, right, right and proper, right-minded, righteous, rightful, rightfully, rightly, ritually pure, rosy, royal, ruddy, sane, satisfactory, satisfying, satisfyingly, shapely, shiny, shopping center, shopping mall, shopping plaza, show, sightly, skillful, sleek, slender, smut-free, smutless, so so, so-so, solicitous, sound, splendid, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly, spotless, square, stacked, stainless, staple, statistically probable, statuesque, sterling, straight, straightforward, street market, sufficient, sunny, sunshine, sunshiny, sweet, tactful, tahar, tawny, tedious, thoughtful, thriving, tidy, tolerable, trade fair, tranquil, true-dealing, true-devoted, true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, trustworthy, tubbed, unadulterated, unbesmirched, unbiased, unblemished, unblotted, unclouded, uncoded, uncolored, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undarkened, undazzled, undefiled, unenciphered, unexceptionable, unimpeachable, uninfluenced, unjaundiced, unmuddied, unobjectionable, unobstructed, unpolluted, unprejudiced, unprepossessed, unsmirched, unsmudged, unsoiled, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, unswayed, untainted, untarnished, upon even terms, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, urbane, useful, valid, vapid, verisimilar, very good, vigorous, virtuous, warrantable, warrantably, warranted, warrantedly, waygoose, wayzgoose, welcome, well-built, well-favored, well-formed, well-made, well-proportioned, well-scrubbed, well-shaped, well-stacked, well-washed, white, whitened, whitish, whity, wishy-washy, without distinction, workmanlike, worthy, yeomanly