fair presentation meaning in english

Accounting Policies – Fair Presentation and Faithful Representation for IFRS

What does fair presentation mean.

Financial statements are described as showing a ‘true and fair view’ when they are free from material misstatements and faithfully represent the financial performance and position of an entity.

In some countries, this is an essential part of financial reporting.

Under International Financial Reporting Standards, financial statements are required to present fairly the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of the entity.

This issue is not dealt with directly by the Framework.

However, if an entity complies with International Financial Reporting Standards, and if its financial information is both relevant and faithfully represented, then the financial statements ‘should convey what is generally understood as a true and fair view of such information’.

Under IAS 1, ‘Fair presentation requires the faithful representation of the effects of transactions, other events and conditions in accordance with the definitions and recognition criteria for assets, liabilities, income and expenses set out in the IASB Framework.

What does faithful representation mean?

Faithful representation means more than that the amounts in the financial statements should be materially correct.

The information should present clearly the transactions and other events that it is intended to represent.

Also, the financial information must account for transactions and other events in a way that reflects their true substance and economic reality, their commercial impact, rather than their strict legal form.

If there is a difference between substance and legal form, the financial information should represent the economic substance.

An example of this is when a company enters into a finance lease, the substance of the transaction requires the entity to record an asset in its financial statements and a corresponding liability for the lease payments due.

Faithful representation also requires the presentation of financial information in a way that is not misleading to users, and that important information is not concealed or obscured as this may be misleading.

Fair presentation and compliance with IFRSs

“Fair presentation” is presumed when the International Financial Reporting Standards are applied with necessary disclosures.

Under IAS 1:

When the financial statements of an entity fully comply with International Financial Reporting Standards, this should be disclosed.
Financial statements should not be described as compliant with IFRSs unless they comply with all of the International Financial Reporting Standards.

So IAS 1 assumes financial statements are presented fairly when they comply with accounting standards.

However, it is important to remember the spirit and nature of the accounting standard, and not its strict definition when preparing financial statements.

This is especially true for complex transactions which may not be covered by an accounting standard.

In these cases, the substance of the transaction should take precedence over the strict legal form of the transaction.

Under IAS 1, fair presentation also requires an entity:

to select and apply accounting policies in accordance with IAS 8 Accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors. IAS 8 sets out guidance for management on how to account for a transaction if no accounting standard is applicable
to present information in a manner that provides relevant, reliable, comparable and understandable information
to provide additional disclosures where these are necessary to enable users to understand the financial position and performance of the entity, even where additional disclosure is not required by the accounting standards.

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fair presentation

Quick reference.

The requirement that financial statements should not be misleading. ‘Fair presentation’ is the US and International Accounting Standards equivalent of the British requirement that financial statements give a true and fair view.

From: fair presentation in A Dictionary of Finance and Banking »

Subjects: Social sciences — Economics

Fair Presentation

An accounting standards’ requirement that an entity’s financial statements should be presented in a fair way to all relevant users of these statements. In other words, it is premised on the requirement that these statements should not be misleading. Under the principle of fair presentation, financial statements must fairly present the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of the entity. Fair presentation requires the faithful (unbiased) representation of the monetary effects of transactions, other events and circumstances in accordance with the applicable concepts and recognition criteria for assets , liabilities , income and expenses .

Fair presentation is the US and International Accounting Standards (IAS) equivalent of the British requirement that financial statements provide a true and fair view (which entails that statements/ accounts have been truly prepared and fairly presented in accordance with applicable accounting standards and framework . It also implies that the financial statements are free from material misstatements and faithfully represent the financial position and performance of an entity, subject-matter of an audit process.).

Face of Balance Sheet
Primary Currency
Accounting Currency
Reporting Currency
Presentation Currency
Presentation Statement
Comparability

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Financial Statement Variable
Financial Variable
Factory Overhead Control Account
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The Duty of Fair Presentation: An Essential Refresher

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One of the most common arguments between policyholders and their insurers arises from an allegation that material information was omitted from disclosure provided to the insurer prior a policy’s inception. The consequences of such an allegation, if it can be sustained, range from very little (say, if the non-disclosure would not have affected the insurer’s underwriting, or if the policy contains an “innocent non-disclosure” clause), through to the very serious (i.e. avoidance of the policy).

It follows that one of the most effective ways for policyholders to avoid coverage disputes is to ensure that the disclosure process is fully understood, and that the correct disclosure is made to an insurer prior to a policy’s inception.

What is the Duty of Fair Presentation?

The requirement for policyholders to comply with a Duty of Fair Presentation before entering into (or varying) commercial (as opposed to consumer) contracts of insurance was introduced by the Insurance Act 2015 (the “ Act ”). It effectively brings together, into one duty, policyholders’ pre-Act obligations in respect of non-disclosure and misrepresentation.

In essence, the Duty of Fair Presentation requires those seeking insurance to volunteer and disclose the information that a prudent insurer would want to know when it is: (i) deciding whether to issue the policy and, if so, on what terms; and (ii) determining the premium payable for the cover sought.

The Act provides that a fair presentation of the risk is one which makes the disclosure referred to above in a manner that would be reasonably clear and accessible to a prudent insurer (in effect, banning the practice of “data dumping”, or the provision of brief/cryptic disclosure in respect of facts that warrant a fuller explanation to properly understand their implication), and in which every material representation as to a matter of fact is substantially correct, and every material representation as to a matter of expectation or belief is made in good faith.

What does this mean in practice?

Helpfully, the Act provides guidance on what should be disclosed by a policyholder in a “fair presentation” of the risk.

Disclosure is required of every material circumstance which the policyholder knows or ought to know. A “ circumstance ” includes any communication made to, or information received by, the policyholder. It is “ material ” if it would influence the judgment of a prudent insurer in determining whether to take the risk and, if so, on what terms.

Subsection 7(4) of the Act gives the following examples of things which might be material circumstances:

Special or unusual facts relating to the risk;
Any particular concerns which led the policyholder to seek insurance cover for the risk; or
Anything which those concerned with the class of insurance and field of activity in question would generally understand as being something that should be dealt with in a fair presentation of the risks of the type in question.

Accordingly, if facts or matters could be relevant to, or impact on, the insurer’s decision making process in any way when it is assessing the risk for which cover is sought, they should be disclosed to the insurer.

When making that disclosure, care must be taken to ensure that factual information provided to insurers in respect of those circumstances is substantially correct. Statements of fact are “ substantially correct ” if a prudent insurer would not consider the difference between what was represented and what was actually correct to be material. Further any expressions of expectation or belief (e.g. “we do not expect [x] to occur during the policy period”) must be to be made in good faith.

Whose knowledge is relevant to fulfilling the Duty of Fair Presentation?

Where the policyholder is an individual (e.g. a sole trader) they can only disclose what is known to them and/or what is known to the person or persons who are responsible for procuring their insurance (e.g. their broker).

Where the policyholder is a company or partnership, it is required to disclose what is known by:

its senior management team (being those individuals who play a significant role in the making of decisions about how the business’ activities are to be managed or organised); and
the person within the business (e.g. risk managers), or externally (e.g. a broker), who is responsible for its insurance procurement.

In either case, circumstances which a policyholder ought to know about are those which could reasonably have been revealed by a reasonable search of the information available to it or by making reasonable enquiries. Those enquiries should encompass not just information held within the policyholder’s business, but also any external parties (e.g. agents) who might hold relevant information. Businesses should therefore have procedures in place to ensure that any potentially material circumstances are reported to senior management and communicated to the person(s) tasked with getting appropriate insurance cover in place.

A policyholder cannot circumvent the Duty of Fair Presentation by deliberately failing to investigate matters which might be, or become, material circumstances, so it can say that it had no knowledge of the relevant information prior to entering into the contract of insurance. The Act provides that an individual’s knowledge encompasses both their actual knowledge and matters which the individual suspected, and would have had knowledge about, but for their deliberately refraining from confirming or enquiring about those matters.

How far does the Duty of Fair Presentation extend?

At first blush, the duty appears to be an onerous one. However, the Act assists policyholders by providing that the Duty of Fair Presentation will be satisfied if the policyholder has failed to disclose every material circumstance, notwithstanding its attempt to do so, but has provided sufficient information to put a prudent insurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries for the purpose of revealing those material circumstances before it issues the policy. This puts the onus on insurers to conduct their own enquiries if sufficient information is provided to reveal the need for such enquiries.

Further, the Act provides that a policyholder is not required to disclose a circumstance if:

it diminishes the risk;
the insurer already knows about it;
the insurer ought to know about it;
the insurer is presumed to know about it; or
it is something as to which the insurer waives information.

For the purposes of (ii), (iii) and (iv), the “ insurer ” is anyone who participates in the decision making process by which the insurer determined whether to issue the policy sought and on what terms. For the purposes of (iv), the insurer is presumed to know things that are common knowledge and things which an insurer offering the type of insurance in question, and in the field of activity in question, would reasonably be expected to know in the ordinary course of business.

Treating proposal forms with caution

Many insurers require a proposal form to be completed. However, the Duty of Fair Presentation is not (absent an express waiver by an insurer) confined to simply answering the questions asked in that form. The policyholder is required to disclose material circumstances regardless of whether the insurer has specifically asked for that information or not, unless it can show that the reasonable person reading the proposal form (and applying the ordinary meaning of the words used in the questions asked) would be justified in thinking that the insurer had implicitly waived its right to receive all material information and/or consented to the omission of the particular information not disclosed (e.g. where the insurer could have, but fails to, ask questions in the proposal form that address an issue which it later claims to be material to its consideration of the risk) [1] .

Remedies: What can an insurer do if a policyholder fails to give a fair presentation?

If the insurer can show that, but for the policyholder’s breach of the Duty of Fair Presentation, it (i) would not have entered into the contract of insurance at all; or (ii) would have only done so on different terms, the insurer will have a remedy against the policyholder. What that remedy is will depend on whether the insurer can show that the breach was deliberate or reckless, or simply accidental/careless.

If the breach was deliberate or reckless, the insurer may avoid the policy (i.e., treat it as cancelled from the start) without returning any of the premiums paid and refuse all claims.

If the breach was neither deliberate nor reckless, but was accidental or as a result of carelessness on the part of the policyholder, the remedy will depend on what the insurer would have done had the proper presentation been made.

If the insurer would not have issued the policy on any terms, it may avoid the policy and refuse all claims, but must return the premiums paid.

If the insurer would have issued the policy, but on different terms (e.g. it would have excluded certain risks from the cover provided, say by way of a “specific matters exclusion”), the policy will be treated as if those different terms were put in place at the outset.

In addition, if the insurer would have charged a higher premium, the insurer may reduce proportionately the amount to be paid out in relation to any claim made on the policy. For example, if the premium paid for the policy was £750, but the insurer would have charged £1,000 but for the failure of the policyholder to comply with its Duty of Fair Presentation, the insurer will only be required to pay 75% of any claim made on that policy (i.e. the premium actually paid / the higher premium x 100).

As we note above, alleged breaches of the Duty of Fair Presentation are one of the most common reasons we see for disputes arising between policyholders and their insurers. It seems likely that declinatures/purported avoidances on this basis will only increase as insurers react to adverse market and economic conditions by taking a more forensic approach to the validation of claims, and by attitudes to running more aggressive arguments against a policyholder hardening.

Policyholders should therefore ensure that they seek appropriate guidance from their brokers to ensure that they have a full understanding of their obligations prior to purchasing (or varying) their insurances. Likewise, policyholders should err on the side of caution when completing proposal forms and/or making presentations to insurers – the risks of not disclosing something that may be material almost always outweigh the benefits of attempting to present (perhaps inaccurately or incompletely) a clean bill of health to an insurer.

The key takeaway should be that if you are in any doubt at all as to whether a fact might be material, disclose it.

Emma Hockley Indemnity Legal 30/06/2022

[1] In the Scottish case of Young v Royal & Sun Alliance plc [2020] CSIH 25 it was argued that the insurer had asked a ‘limiting question’ in the proposal form relating to the insolvency history of the insured and that the policyholder had reasonably inferred that the insurer did not want to know about information which fell outside the scope of that question. The policyholder did not succeed in that argument. The Court found that waiver is not readily to be inferred and that it was for the policyholder to prove the waiver. However, in Ristorante Ltd t/a/ Bar Massimo v Zurich Insurance plc [2021] EWHC 2538 the Court found that, in relation to a similar question, the insurer had waived its right to certain information and/or consented to its omission by the way the question had been worded in the context of the proposal form as a whole. See article here

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True and Fair presentation

Table of Contents

True and Fair presentation Definition

Financial statements are produced by the Board of directors which give a true and fair view of the entity’s results. The auditor in reviewing these financial statements gives an opinion on the truth and fairness of them. Although there is no definition in the International Standards on Auditing of true and fair it is generally considered the meaning of

True and Fair presentation as following

True – Information is based on facts and conforms with reality in that there are no factual errors. In addition, it is assumed that to be true it must comply with accounting standards and any relevant legislation. True includes data that is correctly transferred from accounting records to the financial statements.

Fair – Information is impartial, clear and unbiased, and representing the commercial substance of the transactions of the entity.

Board of directors = The person who is responsible for overviewing the strategic direction of the entity and obligations related to the accountability of the entity. This includes overviewing the financial reporting process.

Management – The persons with executive responsibility for the conduct of the companies operations. In some cases, all of those charged with governance are involved in managing the company, Example, a small business (sole trader) where a single owner manages the entity and no one else has a governance role

Engagement partner – The partner in the firm who is responsible for the audit engagement and its performance (who is authorized to sign the audit report), and for the auditor’s report that is issued on behalf of the firm and who has the authority from a professional, legal or regulatory body.

Professional judgment – The application of audit training, experience and knowledge, within the context provided by the client, accounting and principles of ethical standards, in making decisions on the base of information about the courses of action that are appropriate in the circumstances of the audit engagement.

Professional skepticism – An attitude that includes a questioning mind, being alert to conditions which can indicate possible misstatement due to error or fraud, and a critical assessment of audit evidence. Professional skepticism includes being alert to, for example:

• Audit evidence that conflicts with other audit evidence obtained by the auditor.

• The questionable information brings the reliability of documents and responses to inquiries to be used as audit evidence.

• Conditions that may indicate possible fraud.

• Circumstances that suggest the need for audit procedures required by the ISAs.

Appointment Removal & Role Of An Auditor
Fundamental principles of ethics

presentation

presentation on/about somebody/something The sales manager will give a presentation on the new products.
Several speakers will be making short presentations .
The conference will begin with a keynote presentation by a leading industry figure.
a slide/video/multimedia presentation
presentation on

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Meaning of fair in English

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fair adjective ( RIGHT )

A fair justice system is a fundamental part of a civilized society .
I suppose his criticism was fair comment .
Everyone should have a fair slice of the cake .
They claimed that the election had been fair, but really it was a sham .
This job has more than its fair share of frustrations .
all's fair in love and war idiom
anti-discrimination
anti-egalitarian
anti-nepotism
due process
egalitarian
egalitarianism
get your just deserts idiom
it's a fair cop idiom
sportsmanlike
sportsmanship
what goes around comes around idiom
without fear or favour idiom

fair adjective ( PALE )

peroxide blonde
platinum blonde

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

fair adjective ( QUITE LARGE )

appreciable
the bigger the better idiom

fair adjective ( AVERAGE )

acceptable Your essay was acceptable, but I think you could have done better.
reasonable They have a reasonable chance of winning.
adequate The law provides adequate compensation for robbery victims.
passable I speak passable Spanish.
will do It's not perfect, but it'll do.
half decent
indifferent
indifferently
presentably
the/your average bear idiom
unspectacular
up to scratch idiom

fair adjective ( QUITE GOOD )

add credence to something
anything's possible idiom
as never before idiom
give credence to something
I shouldn't wonder idiom
in with a chance
probabilistic
probabilistically
probability

fair adjective ( WEATHER )

anticyclone
be set fair idiom
bone dry idiom
brighten up

fair adjective ( BEAUTIFUL )

aesthetically
disarmingly
distinguished
magnetically
April Fool's Day
baby shower
bachelor party
backslapping
Day of the Dead
dinner dance
Easter egg hunt
masked ball
Mother's Day
sweet sixteen
trick-or-treating
Valentine's Day

fair | American Dictionary

Fair adjective ( large ), fair adjective ( correct ), fair noun [c] ( public event ), fair | business english, examples of fair, translations of fair.

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fair (RIGHT)
it's only fair
it's fair to say
fair enough
fair's fair
a fair hearing
fair and square
fair (PALE)
fair (QUITE LARGE)
fair (AVERAGE)
fair (QUITE GOOD)
fair (WEATHER)
fair (BEAUTIFUL)
fair (LARGE)
fair (CORRECT)
fair (PUBLIC EVENT)
county/state fair
street fair
Business Adjective Noun
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Definition of fair

(Entry 1 of 5)

Definition of fair (Entry 2 of 5)

Definition of fair (Entry 3 of 5)

Definition of fair (Entry 4 of 5)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Definition of fair (Entry 5 of 5)

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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’.”

fair , just , equitable , impartial , unbiased , dispassionate , objective mean free from favor toward either or any side.

fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests.

just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper.

equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned.

impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice.

unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice.

dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment.

objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings.

synonyms see in addition beautiful

Examples of fair in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fair.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Adjective, Adverb, Verb, and Noun (2)

Middle English fager, fair , from Old English fæger ; akin to Old High German fagar beautiful

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

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

1635, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fair

a fair crack of the whip
a fair hearing
a fair shake
all's fair in love and war
county fair
fair and square
fair chance
fair enough
fair - haired
fair market value
fair - minded
fair's fair
fair - spoken
fair / square deal
fair to middling
fair to say
fair - trade agreement
fair warning
fair - weather
gave him a fair shake
get a fair shake
it's a fair cop
science fair
turnabout is fair play
vanity fair
world's fair

Articles Related to fair

An Impartial View of 'Fair' and 'Fare'

Your ticket to sorting them out

Dictionary Entries Near fair

fair's fair

Cite this Entry

“Fair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair. Accessed 18 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of fair.

(Entry 1 of 3)

Kids Definition of fair (Entry 2 of 3)

Kids Definition of fair (Entry 3 of 3)

Old English fæger "pleasing to the eye or mind"

Middle English feire "a gathering of buyers and sellers," from early French feire (same meaning), from Latin feria "weekday, fair," derived from earlier feriae (plural) "holidays"

Legal Definition

Legal definition of fair, more from merriam-webster on fair.

Nglish: Translation of fair for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of fair for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fair

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35 Powerful Presentation Phrases in English for Engaging Your Audience

Your palms are sweating.

For a moment, your mind goes blank.

All eyes are on you.

That moment right before you start presenting – as you take in your audience – is usually the scariest. The nervousness lessens with practice, but even the most frequent public speakers still get butterflies in their stomach sometimes. Whether you’re facing an entire room of people or looking at everyone through your laptop screen, giving a presentation can still be intimidating – or exciting, once you move beyond the fear.

There’s an extra layer of challenge too if you have to speak in your non-native language. For a more professional-sounding and engaging presentation, we’ve compiled some of the most useful English presentation phrases below.

We’ll also explore what else you can do to make even more of an impact on your audience. With the right intonation, body language, and gestures, you’ll really be able to catch their attention and emphasize your points.

If this sounds interesting to you, you should check out the Creativa business meeting mastery course . There’s an entire video episode about giving a stunning presentation. You’ll learn about how to structure your ideas, deliver a report, and conclude a discussion. It covers not only fluent native phrases but also body language demonstrations that you can apply to your work right away.

On top of this, the course has plenty of other engaging, high-quality video episodes that help you present your best self in English. Curious about it? You can access a free video here .

Delivering a Powerful Presentation

To lay the groundwork for your presentation in English, here’s what you’ll have to do first:

Consider the audience

You’re probably always going to need slides, but every presentation will be different – and the audience that you’ll be presenting to won’t always find the same points interesting. Because of this, you’ll have to tailor your message to them. What style of presentation would be a good fit? For example, some audiences would want to see a lot of number-crunching, while others might be looking for more personal storytelling .

Prepare a structure

Structure is key in presentations. People have short attention spans, and they can be forgetful. At the end of the day, your goal is for them to remember at least the main points in your presentation. What message do you want to convey? Since you might be discussing a lot of information, you can make it more digestible by ensuring that there’s a logical progression and then ending with a summary.

Whatever your topic is, it’ll benefit from having a well-defined structure to guide your audience from start to finish. For a cheat sheet on this, scroll down here to download a free PDF worksheet with exercises about structuring your presentation so you can be clear and convincing. This way, you can have a presentation that’s strong in all sections – beginning, middle, and end.

Key Business Phrases

Once you’ve decided on the style and message of your presentation, you can take it up a notch by including certain English presentation phrases all throughout. Let’s break it down from start to finish:

Introduction

This is when you’ll be warming up your audience before you proceed to your main points.

Greeting the audience

If you’re presenting to people who aren’t too familiar with you, you can quickly introduce yourself and mention your role or company.

Good morning, everyone. I’m glad to be able to present to all of you.
Hello, everyone! It’s nice to see all of you today. I’m [name], the [position] from [company].

Describing your topic

After greeting the audience, you’ll be explaining to them what your presentation is all about. To set their expectations, you might show them an outline of the talk and mention if there’ll be any activities such as breakout discussions.

I’ll be talking about…
I’ll be talking about our financial metrics over the past year.
The topic of this presentation will be…
The topic of this presentation will be major trends in the logistics industry.
I’ll be discussing first the [first topic], next [second topic], and finally [third topic].
I’ll be discussing first the project’s ideation process, next our initial trial, and finally, presenting our results.

Addressing questions and technical concerns

People might be wondering if they can ask questions during your presentation, so you can clarify this at the start. If you’re providing handouts or presenting online, it’s useful to ask people to alert you about any technical concerns.

Please feel free to ask any questions during the talk.
For questions, there will be a Q&A section at the end.
Can all of you see and hear me properly? Please let me know if you have any technical difficulties during the presentation.

The body will make up the bulk of your presentation. Ideally, you would go through each of your points logically while letting your audience know when you’re moving on to the next section.

The longer your presentation, the more important it is to use sequencing phrases. These act as cues that let your audience know where you are in the presentation. You can think of these as similar to detour signals that make the audience much more likely to get your meaning.

First, let’s discuss the…
First, let’s discuss the initial spark for this idea.
Moving into [the next item / point] …
Moving into item 4, we can see that this is a major pain point for our target market.
This leads us to the next…
This leads us to the next section, where we’ll be looking at the facts and figures.

Linking is closely related to sequencing. Similar to writing, you can have a smoother presentation by connecting your ideas rather than suddenly jumping from one point to another. You can also refer back to points that you’ve mentioned before to make your presentation more cohesive.

In connection to what I said earlier…
In connection to what I said earlier about growing our online presence, we can now look into potential social media campaigns.
What this means is…
What this means is that most of our growth is coming from a certain sector. Let’s analyze the data for this in the next section.
This ties in with…
This ties in with our survey findings about user reactions. I’ll go into detail about changes we’ve made to the app as a result.

Giving examples

To fully convey your point, you can bring up specific examples and case studies. These are much more memorable as well as engaging because you can tell these in the form of a story.

For example…
For example, costs were reduced significantly when we switched to the following materials.
To demonstrate this point…
To demonstrate this point, I’ll be showing you a video of a business that used this problem-solving method.
Here’s an example of…
Here’s an example of a seasonal product that our customers loved.

Showing visuals

Visuals naturally attract people’s attention. If you’re using slides for your presentation, take the opportunity to include images, diagrams, infographics, or even charts.

As you can see from this…
As you can see from this photo, we’ve redesigned our office space.
Here’s a diagram / picture / chart that shows…
Here’s a diagram that shows a high percentage of people are comfortable with online shopping.
If you look at this…
If you look at this infographic, you can see that the new color palette comes off as fun and casual.

Citing data

Citing data from research makes your presentation more persuasive. When you’re talking about results that you’ve achieved, try to bring up actual numbers – this can go a long way towards impressing your audience.

According to this study…
According to this study from [journal], 65% of eCommerce companies are looking for more efficient payment methods.
Based on our research…
Based on our research, the most enthusiastic buyers of wellness products in this city are in the 20 to 30 age range.
Looking at the data…
Looking at the data, you’ll notice that there’s been an 18% spike in sales since we migrated our platform.

Restating an idea

Sometimes you’ll want to restate an idea so it’s easier to understand. This also serves to emphasize it. Because of the repetition, people are more likely to remember it compared to if you’d only mentioned it once.

In other words…
In other words, partnering up with this client can make our operations more efficient and seamless.
Another way of saying this is…
Another way of saying this is that there might actually be more demand than supply by next year.
What I mean is…
What I mean is we’re already more than halfway to our business objective.

Handling technical issues

When you’re presenting on video call, all kinds of glitches can happen. Someone might have connection issues, you might have to figure out an app feature you’ve never used before, or background noises might keep interrupting your call. The phrases below can be very handy in these kinds of situations.

If you can’t hear me, can you type in the chat, please?
Could everyone mute their mic? There’s a lot of background noise.
Sorry. The call dropped. I’m back through.

Concluding the Presentation

By this time, the hardest part is already over! Still, you’ll have to wrap up your presentation nicely by going over the key takeaways during the conclusion. Your audience might also have questions that they’ll want you to address.

Summarizing the presentation

Out of everything that you’ve discussed, what would you like people to get out of it? A short summary towards the end serves to highlight your main ideas.

To wrap up…
To wrap up, I’d like to point out three major takeaways.
As a summary…
As a summary of this report update, I would say we have seen a positive uptick in our workflow and productivity.
All in all…
All in all, we believe we’ve seen good results for this stage of our progress.

Thanking the audience

Similar to your greeting at the start, it’s common to address your audience again towards the end by thanking them for their time.

Thank you for listening!
Thank you to everyone for being here.
I’d like to thank you all for coming here.

Addressing questions

If you’re open to questions from your audience, you can have a short question-and-answer session after your presentation.

Do you have any questions or clarifications?
Feel free to ask me about any of the points I made during the presentation.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Practice is Crucial

When you’re all set with the content of your presentation, the next step is to practice your delivery. Regardless of how well you know the topic of your presentation, practicing it at least once will help you be more confident. You’ll discover potential issues that you can fix too before you go live.

Do a run-through

The most basic way to practice is to do a run-through of your entire presentation . Set a timer on your phone, open up your slides, then start talking – all while imagining that you’re already presenting to your audience. Since you’re acting as if it’s in real-time, this means avoiding any pauses where you have to look up information.

A run-through can pinpoint any weaknesses in your presentation, and you’ll notice any parts where you might be uncomfortable talking. You’ll also be able to see how much time you’ve spent so you can pace yourself accordingly.

Record yourself

A more intensive version of the run-through basic would be to record yourself presenting. You can either record your voice or take a full video of yourself. People often notice that they use filler words a lot such as “um” or “uh.” You’ll also be able to check your pronunciation and whether you sound confident and natural all throughout.

Since body language can make or break your delivery, watching a video of yourself presenting is an incredibly effective way to improve your performance. Do your facial expressions match what you’re saying? Are you maintaining good posture throughout and making efforts to connect with the audience?

When you combine a confident, approachable body language with the right business vocabulary, your ideas shine through better than ever. You can get a play-by-play of how exactly to do this with the Creativa business meeting mastery course . It features video sections that are all about making powerful transitions and expressing your points clearly during presentations. You’ll learn about specific native English phrases and gestures so you can move fluidly from one idea to the next.

Together with the other episodes, the course dives deep into how you can be a strong communicator during professional meetings. For a preview, check out this free episode .

Presenting on Video Call

Technical issues happen often enough in face-to-face presentations, but they’re even more frequent during video calls. To avoid any awkward delays when you’re presenting, get comfortable with the platform that you’ll be using.

If it’s a face-to-face presentation, double-check your slides and make sure any images or videos are showing properly. For video calls, try doing a test call on the app or even call up a friend to practice. You can also get familiar with the app’s basic features, such as screen-sharing or inviting people to breakout rooms.

But sometimes, even when you’ve practiced your presentation perfectly on video call, the unexpected can still happen. Scroll down here to download a free worksheet that we made precisely for dealing with technical issues in presentations. You’ll get an extensive list of English phrases to use for all sorts of video call glitches, along with practical tips for handling them in the moment. With enough preparation, you’ll be able to roll with surprises and conquer even video call presentations.

Let’s explore some of the most common glitches (and how you can deal with them gracefully!):

Situation 1: You’re having a hard time hearing other people because of their laggy connection.

For a presentation to work, everyone needs to have a decent internet connection. If someone’s connection drops, they won’t be able to see or hear you properly, and you won’t understand what they’re trying to say, either. In this case, let them know right away that you can’t hear them. You can also ask them to talk to you over chat instead.

Example Phrases:

[Name], you’re cutting in and out. Would you mind reconnecting?
Audio problems – can you type it on chat instead?

Situation 2: You get disconnected from the call.

In the case that it’s your connection that’s faulty, you might have to disconnect then reconnect your call. This can be awkward because it interrupts the flow of your presentation. Alerting your audience using certain English phrases can reassure them while getting you back on track with what you were saying.

Sorry, guys, dropped call. But I’m back.
Connection problems, everyone. Gonna log out and back in.

Situation 3: People are having a hard time figuring out how to turn on their audio or video.

Another reason why you’d want to be really familiar with the video platform is you might have to coach people when they experience glitches. It’s almost expected that a few people might accidentally forget to turn on their mic while speaking. Alternatively, they might have issues with turning on their camera.

I can’t see you, [name]. [Give instructions on how to turn on their video.]
I can’t see you, Fatima. Look for the camera icon and make sure there’s no red line through it.
Typing in chat: “Make sure your mic’s unmuted.” [Clarify how they’ll know if they’re unmuted.]
Typing in chat: “ Make sure your mic’s unmuted. There should be no red lines through it.

The best presentations excel in all three areas: content, structure, and delivery.

Including some of the key English phrases above will upgrade your performance. Aside from setting a professional tone, these English presentation phrases set the pace for your audience so they’re aware of where you are in the discussion. Your message will sound clearer, and your audience will be able to follow your ideas better.

The basic rules for presentations are the same, whether you’re on a video call or stepping in front of a stage. With the tips above, you’re all set to prepare an amazing presentation in English.

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Learning English with Oxford

The latest language learning tips, resources, and content from oxford university press., useful phrases for giving a presentation in english.

by Oxford University Press ELT
Posted on April 21, 2023 February 2, 2024

Giving a presentation in English can be challenging, but with these helpful phrases, you can feel confident and ready to make a good presentation in English.

Starting your presentation

So how to start a presentation in English? Begin by saying hello and welcoming everyone. You can also thank the audience for being there with you.

The beginning of the presentation is one of the most important parts because you need to make sure your audience is interested from the start.

You could tell a short story, give a fact, or simply tell the audience a little bit about yourself, e.g. ‘ Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself …’

Then, introduce what your presentation is about by giving an opening statement or an overview of your session. For example, ‘Today, I am going to talk to you about …’ or, ‘Today, we’ll be looking at/focusing on …’.

You can also tell the audience, ‘ If you have any questions, please raise your hand and I’ll be happy to answer them’ … or ‘ We’ll have time at the end for questions.’

Presenting the topic

When you get into the main part of giving your presentation in English, remember that what you’re saying to your audience is new information. Speak slowly, organise your ideas, and make sure your pronunciation is clear. You can learn more about boosting your pronunciation here .

Use expressions to order your ideas and introduce new ones. You can use words and phrases to sequence like, firstly/first of all, secondly, then, next, following this, and lastly/finally.

If you want to introduce the opposite point of view, you can use language like however, on the other hand, contrary to this and then again.

It’s a good idea to link what you are saying back to previous things you have said. This shows you have a well-organised presentation and also helps keep people engaged. For example, ‘as I said previously/at the beginning …’, ‘as you may remember’ and ‘this relates to what I said about ….’

Highlighting information during your talk

When you are giving a presentation in English, you might want to highlight a particular piece of information or something that’s important. You can use phrases such as ‘Let’s focus on …’, ‘I want to highlight …’, ‘Pay attention to …’, ‘Let’s look at …’, ‘I want to briefly address …’, or ‘Now, let’s discuss ….’ You can use these phrases after your sequencing words to help you with your structure.

You can also highlight information by asking your audience their opinion of what you are saying or having them engage with the presentation in some way. For example, you could ask a question and have the audience raise their hands if they agree, or disagree, or if you want to find out how many of them have experience with the situation you’re discussing. Asking questions is a good way to make sure you still have the audience’s attention after you’ve been speaking for a while.

You can also highlight information on your visuals if you’re using them. Use bright, impactful pictures and colours, and don’t include too much writing on your slides.

Finalising the talk

At the end of the presentation, you should summarise your talk and remind the audience of the things you have discussed, and the new information you have given them. You can say things like ‘In summary, we have looked at …’, ‘I’d like to finish by …’, and ‘We’re coming to the end of the presentation. We’ve discussed …’.

You can then ask the audience for any questions you haven’t already answered.

What are your experiences of giving a presentation in English? Do you have any other tips to add? Share below!

Billie Jago is an ELT writer and teacher trainer, specialising in digital & assessments. She is the founder of the professional development podcast ELTcpd and co-founder of the digital ELT content agency, otterelt .

Author: Oxford University Press ELT

Every year we help millions of people around the world to learn English. As a department of the University of Oxford, we further the University’s objective of excellence in education by publishing proven and tested language learning books, eBooks, learning materials, and educational technologies. View all posts by Oxford University Press ELT

before You start your presentation ,try please to mention the time duration . sometimes people should be informed so that we can take a coffe break or cigarettes break in order to make evry one happy with the topics

Here is the tip I would add according to my experience :

end your presentation on a positive note, for example with a funny sentence /image /meme / an inspirational quote, in short something that will make your talk pleasant to remember.

Valentina T.

You need to chill out and show calmness and confidence. You should rehearse your presentation on the stage some time before its previously stated time.

Clear, cogent & commanding. Thanks.

I think to get better respond to presentation you can do some mistakes in it and then explain it the end or in the next presentation. Because if anyone would like to learn something also should show involvement.

Words and phrases

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fair adjective & noun 1

Hide all quotations

Earlier version

fair, a. and n.² in OED Second Edition (1989)

In other dictionaries

fæger adj. in Dictionary of Old English
fair, adj. in Middle English Dictionary

What does the word fair mean?

There are 45 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word fair , seven of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

fair has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

How common is the word fair ?

How is the word fair pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the word fair come from.

Earliest known use

Old English

The earliest known use of the word fair is in the Old English period (pre-1150).

fair is a word inherited from Germanic.

Nearby entries

faintishness, n. 1733–
faintive, adj. 1790–
faintless, adj. 1593–
faintling, n. & adj. 1614–1712
faintly, adj. 1712–71
faintly, adv. 1297–
faintness, n. 1398–
faints, n. 1743–
fainty, adj. 1530–
fair, n.² ?a1300–
fair, adj. & n.¹ Old English–
fair, v. Old English–
fair, adv. Old English–
fair and square, adv. & adj. 1604–
fairation, n. 1847–
fair ball, n. 1855–
fair catch, n. 1861–
fair chance, n. 1723–53
fair comment, n. 1887–
fair-conditioned, adj. 1473–
fair copy, n. 1605–

Meaning & use

Wæs he Oswine se cyning ge on onsyne fæger [Latin aspectu venustus ] ge on bodie heah ge wynsum on gespræce.

Ðeah nu hwa sie [swa] fæger swa swa Alcibiadis se æþelincg wæs.

Oððæt he Adam..gearone funde..and his wif somed, freo fægroste .

Þatt an wass swiþe faȝȝerr wif.

He wes wis he wes fæir .

So faiger he was on to sen.

Ȝif þe chin is proporcionat to þe forehed, it makeþ faire ..al þe face.

Sche was fayr as is the Rose in may.

Þe fax on his faire hede was ferly to schawe.

In this trobleous season..was y e quene deliuered at Westmynster of a fayre sonne.

A ientlewoman of a good house, and muche wealthe, fayre of bodie.

That faire and warlike forme.

The fairest of her Daughters Eve.

The Ropes of Pearl those meaner Beauties wear, Proclaim them rather Rich, than Fair .

Thousands had mair braws and siller, But ware ony half sae fair ?

Of stature fair .

Monday's child is fair in face.

One of the fairest figures of moral beauty.

It seemed incredible that one so lovely could yet harbor within her fair bosom a heart so cruel and relentless.

Most of the women were indeed beautiful, some stunningly fair of face and figure.

How fair she was, seen by fire glow, flushed from the chase.

fair Old English– Beautiful to the eye; of attractive appearance; good-looking. Cf. foul , adj. I.7a. Now somewhat archaic … Of a person, or a person's face, figure…
liefly Old English–1460 Lovable, lovely, delightful, beautiful, pleasant, dear, glad. Applied both to persons and things.
sheen Old English– Beautiful. Of animals, inanimate objects, places, etc.
smicker Old English–1641 Beautiful, elegant, fair, handsome. In later use only of persons.
wenlich Old English–1200 Beautiful.
wliti Old English–1225 Beautiful.
lovesome c1175– Inspiring love on account of beauty; lovely, beautiful.
lusty a1240–1600 Pleasing, pleasant. Obsolete . Pleasing in appearance; beautiful. Obsolete .
flourished a1375–1600 Adorned with flowers or verdure; figurative adorned with charms or virtues. Obsolete .
lovely a1400– Lovable or attractive on account of beauty. Of a thing: beautiful; pleasing to the senses.
ween c1400 Beautiful.
beauteous 1435– Highly pleasing to the senses, esp. the sight; beautiful; (also, in recent use) sensuously alluring, voluptuous. Chiefly literary .
beautiful c1443– Highly pleasing to the sight; embodying an ideal of physical perfection; possessing exceptional harmony of form or colour. Also in weakened use.
fine c1450– Of a person or thing: remarkably attractive; good-looking. Now somewhat dated , except U.S. slang (originally and chiefly African American), of a…
pulchrious a1500– = pulchrous , adj.
specious a1513– Fair or pleasing to the eye or sight; beautiful, handsome, lovely; resplendent with beauty. ? Obsolete . Of flowers, birds or their feathers, etc. In…
shand a1525 ? Beautiful, handsome.
speciose a1525 Beautiful, lovely. In quot. 1525 absol.
pulchrous c1540–47 Beauteous, fair.
bonny 1580– Of an object: attractive; beautiful or handsome; esp. (of a place) characterized by attractive landscape or architecture; scenic, pretty (used…
beauty 1598– Beautiful; highly pleasing to the sight. Chiefly in the superlative. In later use regional or nonstandard .
lovelike 1621 = lovely , adj. Obsolete .
killing 1634– In hyperbolic use: Able to kill. Overpoweringly beautiful or attractive.
florid 1642–1780 Of blooming appearance; strikingly beautiful or attractive; brilliant. Of colour: Bright, resplendent. Obsolete .
beautied 1830– As the second element of compounds: having beauty of a specified kind or amount, as little-beautied , rare-beautied , etc.
stunning 1849– colloquial . Excellent, first-rate, ‘splendid’, delightful; extremely attractive or good-looking.
fairsome 1862– Beautiful, attractive.
pulchritudinous 1877– Originally U.S. (chiefly literary and humorous ). Esp. of a woman: beautiful, attractive.
beaut 1894– Beautiful; (also) excellent, impressive, admirable. Also ironic .
loverly 1907– = lovely , adj.
bright Old English–1881 Of a person, esp. a woman: beautiful, attractive; (in early use also) spec. having a fair and rosy complexion (cf. sense A.I.8). Also of a person's…
sheen Old English– Beautiful. Of persons (esp. women), their appearance, features, etc.
(the) sheen c1275–1405 Beautiful. (the) sheen : used after a woman's name.
bel c1314–1678 Fair, fine, beautiful. Obsolete .
pert c1330– Of a person, his or her appearance: beautiful, attractive. In later use also: smart, dapper. Now rare ( English regional ).
quaint c1330–1785 Elegant; attractive; finely or fashionably dressed. Obsolete .
gay a1350–1802 Noble; beautiful; excellent, fine. Chiefly poetic . As a conventional epithet of praise for a woman. Cf. free , adj. A.I.3. Obsolete .
beau 1399–1400 Fair, beautiful. Obsolete .
clear c1420–1578 A common epithet of women: Beautiful, beauteous, fair. Obsolete .
formose c1450–1684 Beautiful, comely.
beautiful 1509– spec. Of a person (now esp. a woman), the face, figure, etc.: possessing attractive harmony of features, figure, or complexion; exceptionally…
venust 1513–1698 Handsome, beautiful; elegant, graceful; comely in appearance.
venereal 1598 Physically beautiful or attractive. Obsolete . rare .
rare-beautied ?1614– As the second element of compounds: having beauty of a specified kind or amount, as little-beautied , rare-beautied , etc.
venerial 1661 Beautiful or attractive like Venus.
seraphic 1765– Resembling a seraph, either in beauty or in fervour of exalted devotion.
nymphish 1789– Nymphlike, bewitching; (in later use, of a young girl) sexually attractive, sexually mature.
hyacinthine 1847– Like the boy Hyacinthus of Greek mythology.
bloomful 1890– Rich in bloom.
comely Old English– Of an object, item of clothing, building, etc.: elegant, beautiful, or delicate in appearance, form, or composition. Now archaic .
goodly Old English– Of good or pleasing appearance; handsome, beautiful, good-looking; comely, fair. Now archaic .
winly Old English–1400 Pleasant, agreeable; goodly, splendid, beautiful. (Often merely a vague epithet of commendation.)
hendy a1250–1450 Of a person: courteous, gracious; lovely, agreeable; noble, valiant.
hend c1275–1916 Of a person or thing: pleasing to the sight; fine, agreeable; lovely.
quaint c1300–1671 Skilfully made so as to have an attractive appearance; beautiful, pretty, fine, dainty. Obsolete .
seemly c1305– Of things: Pleasant ( esp. to the sight); handsome in appearance; of fine or stately proportion.
tidy a1325– In good condition, or of good appearance; fair, well-favoured, comely, bonny; fat, plump, healthy. In quot. 1340 –70, showy, gorgeous. Now dialect .
avenant 1340–1481 Handsome, comely, graceful; pleasant.
honest c1384–1566 Of a thing, condition, action, etc. With reference to appearance: presentable, decent, respectable; neat, tidy; without blemish. Obsolete .
sighty a1387–1533 Sightly, fair, handsome. Obsolete .
proper c1390– Attractive, fair, handsome; elegant; well-made. Now regional .
well beseen a1393– Good-looking, of good appearance; finely equipped, appointed, or dressed; well provided with . Also: experienced or accomplished in .
queem a1400–1540 Of pleasing appearance, attractive, fair. Obsolete .
specious a1400– Fair or pleasing to the eye or sight; beautiful, handsome, lovely; resplendent with beauty. ? Obsolete . Of persons, their parts, etc., or of things.
featous c1400–1648 Of things: Skilfully or artistically fashioned; hence, in wider sense, elegant, handsome, becoming. Often of dress.
parisant c1400 Of attractive appearance.
reken c1400–1500 Joyous, radiant; beautiful, elegant. Also as n. (with the ): elegant people as a class.
well-favoured a1438– Of a person: having an attractive appearance; good-looking, handsome. Cf. ill-favoured , adj. a.
well c1450– In predicative use. Of good or satisfactory appearance. Usually modified by very . Now somewhat archaic .
spectable ?a1475–1665 Presentable to the sight; worthy of being seen or contemplated.
delicate c1480–1759 Very beautiful; lovely, attractive; elegant. Obsolete .
jolly a1500–76 Of immaterial things: Fine; fair; specious.
bonny ?a1513– Of a person (or occasionally an animal): pleasing in appearance, good-looking; esp. (of a woman) pleasantly attractive (rather than stunningly…
snog 1513– Smooth, sleek; neat, tidy.
viewly c1536– Pleasant or attractive in appearance.
goodlike c1550– Originally Scottish . Of good or pleasing appearance; handsome, beautiful, good-looking; = goodly , adj. 1a.
sightly 1555– Pleasing to the sight; fair to look at; handsome, beautiful.
sightful 1565–71 Sightly, pleasant to the eye.
beholding a1586 ? That holds fast the eyes; engaging, attractive. Obsolete . rare .
eyesome ?1587– Pleasing to the eye; attractive.
decent 1600–1725 Of such appearance and proportions as suit the requirements of good taste; comely, handsome.
vage 1604 Fine, handsome.
prospicuous 1605–88 Prominent or conspicuous; (also) distinguished, attractive (see quot. 1656).
eyely 1614 Pleasing to the eye; = eyeable , adj. 2.
fashionable 1630–1720 Of a good fashion or appearance; goodlooking, stylish. Also, fashionable-like . Obsolete .
well-looking 1638– Of an animal or thing: having an aesthetically pleasing appearance; attractive, well-proportioned. Now archaic and rare .
soft a1643– Pleasing in appearance. Pleasing to the eye; free from ruggedness or incongruity in appearance; characterized by a subtle effect or contrast rather…
fineish 1647 Somewhat fine (in various senses of the adjective); esp. (in early use) †affecting refinement; somewhat fastidious ( obsolete ).
well-looked 1660– Of good appearance; good-looking.
sonsy-like a1688– Attractive or pleasant in appearance.
of a good (also ugly, etc.) look 1700 A person's (or animal's) appearance, esp. that of his or her countenance; expression of the eyes or the face; personal appearance or aspect. †of a …
likely-looked 1709 Of pleasing appearance; attractive; = likely-looking , adj. 1.
sonsy 1720– Of a person: attractive, pleasant, or cheerful in appearance; healthy-looking, hearty; spec. (of a woman) comely, attractive; buxom, plump. Also…
smiling 1725– transferred . Of physical features, etc.: Looking bright or cheerful; pleasant, agreeable to the sight.
aspectable 1731– Fit to be beheld, fair to look upon.
smirky a1758– Smart, neat, smiling; simpering; of the nature of a smirk.
likely-looking 1771– Of pleasing appearance; attractive. Cf. earlier likely-looked , adj.
respectable 1776– Of decent or acceptable appearance, esp. as regards clothing or grooming.
magnificent-looking 1790–
producible 1792–1817 Of a person: fit to be produced or introduced; presentable. Obsolete .
presentable 1800– Fit to be presented or introduced into society or company; of good or respectable appearance, fit to be seen. Also figurative .
good-looking 1804– gen. Having an aesthetically pleasing appearance; attractive, well-proportioned. Cf. well-looking , adj. 2a.
nice-looking 1807–
bonnyish 1855– Rather bonny or fine. Also: moderately large; fair. Frequently used ironically.
spick 1882– = spick and span , adj.
eyeable 1887– Originally and chiefly English regional ( midlands ). That may be seen or viewed with pleasure; agreeable to the eye; attractive. Cf. earlier eyely …
aegyo 2007– Characterized by ‘aegyo’, cute, charming, adorable.
breme Old English–1400 Celebrated, famous, glorious (only in Old English); hence as a general epithet of admiration: Excellent, good, ‘fine’, ‘famous’; sometimes…
goodly Old English– Of a good quality or high standard; splendid, excellent, fine. Now archaic .
goodful c1275– Excellent, worthy, virtuous.
noble c1300– Distinguished by virtue of splendour, magnificence, or stateliness of appearance; of imposing or impressive proportions or dimensions. †Also as n. …
price c1300–1615 As a general term of appreciation: worthy, noble; praiseworthy, commendable; prime.
special c1325– Exceptional in quality or degree; unusual; out of the ordinary; esp. excelling in some (usually… Of an abstract concept, immaterial thing, etc…
gentle c1330–1604 Of things: noble, excellent, fine. Obsolete .
fine ?c1335– As a general term of approbation: admirable; excellent; of notable merit or distinction.
singular a1340–1712 Above the ordinary in amount, extent, worth, or value; especially good or great; special… Of remedies, medicines, etc.: Excellent; highly…
thriven a1350–1400 As an epithet of commendation, esp. in the alliterative phrase thriven and thro (see thro , adj.² ): ? Eminent, excellent, worthy, honourable…
thriven and thro a1350–1450 Origin, status, and meaning uncertain; occurs in the alliterative phrase thriven and thro , always commendatory or honorific, and apparently meaning…
gay a1375– Noble; beautiful; excellent, fine. More generally. regional in later use.
proper c1380– Such as a person or thing of the kind specified should be; admirable, excellent, fine; of high quality; of consequence, serious, worthy of…
before-passing a1382 Excelling.
daintiful 1393–1440 = dainty , adj.
principal a1398– Of special quality; excellent, choice; first-class, first-rate. Now rare ( Scottish in later use).
gradely a1400– Of things. Excellent, suitable, handsome.
burly c1400–1873 poetic . Of things: Goodly, excellent, noble. Obsolete . (As an epithet of spear , brand , the meaning may have been ‘stout’: cf. boisterous , adj. )
dainty c1400–1855 Valuable, fine, handsome; choice, excellent; pleasant, delightful. Obsolete or dialect in general sense.
thriving c1400–1540 In alliterative use: Excelling, excellent, worthy; = thriven , adj. 2, thrifty , adj. 2. Obsolete .
vounde c1400 (Meaning obscure.)
virtuous c1425–75 Of high quality, excellent. Obsolete .
hathel c1440–1540 Noble; worthy.
curious c1475–1816 Without explicit reference to workmanship: Exquisite, choice, excellent, fine (in beauty, flavour, or other good quality). Obsolete or dialect …
singler c1500 = singular , adj. , in various senses.
beautiful 1502– Realizing an ideal of intellectual or moral excellence; pleasing to the mind, esp. in being appropriate or well-suited to a particular purpose…
rare ?a1534– colloquial . In weakened sense: splendid, excellent, fine. Now chiefly Scottish , Irish English , and English regional .
gallant 1539– Used as a general term of admiration or praise: excellent, splendid, fine, grand. Cf. brave , adj. A.3. Now chiefly Irish English .
eximious 1547– Excellent, distinguished, eminent; notable, singular.
jolly 1548– Used as a general expression of admiration: Splendid, fine, excellent.
egregious ?c1550– In a positive sense. Of a person, or his or her qualities: distinguished, eminent; great, renowned.
jelly c1560– Good, worthy, excellent; having a high opinion of oneself, proud, haughty.
goodlike 1562– Of a good quality or high standard; splendid, excellent, fine; = goodly , adj. 4a. Now Scottish .
braw c1565– = brave , adj. A.3; worthy, excellent, capital, fine.
of worth 1576– of worth : valuable, useful, important; of high merit or excellence; worthy. Cf. of value at value , n. phrases P.1.
brave ?1577– loosely , as a general epithet of admiration or praise: Worthy, excellent, good, ‘capital’, ‘fine’… Of things.
surprising 1580–1831 Exciting admiration, admirable; occasionally adv. Obsolete .
finger-licking 1584– (a) n. The action or an act of licking the fingers, esp. to remove remnants of food after eating; (b) adv. so as to cause a person to lick his or…
admirable a1586– Worthy of admiration or praise. In later use also as a general term of esteem or appreciation: excellent, very good, pleasing.
excelling a1586– That excels; superior, surpassing. Now only in good sense. †Of a number: Exceedingly great.
ambrosial 1598– In extended or weakened use: extremely beautiful or pleasing; extraordinarily great; excellent, wonderful.
sublimated 1603– Of a person or immaterial thing: elevated to a high degree of perfection, excellence, or refinement; noble; exalted.
valiant 1604 Of an item of clothing: splendid. Obsolete .
excellent 1609– (The current sense; originally a contextual use of 1.) Used as an emphatic expression of praise or approval, whether of persons, things, or…
fabulous 1609– Such as is met with only in fable; beyond the usual range of fact; astonishing, incredible. Now frequently in trivial use, esp. = ‘marvellous’…
pure 1609–1888 slang . Fine, good, excellent, nice. Obsolete .
starry c1610– figurative and in figurative contexts. That shines spiritually, morally, or intellectually; illustrious; excellent, admirable.
topgallant 1612–1850 Used humorously or poetically as an intensive: = gallant , adj. (in various senses). Cf. sense A.4. Obsolete .
lovely 1614– In weakened use: excellent; delightful, pleasant, nice; enjoyable. Now also as int.
soaring a1616– figurative . Rising to a great height, high pitch, etc.; egregious; ambitious, aspiring; sublime.
twanging 1616 colloquial . Exceptionally fine or good. Cf. stunning , adj. , ripping , adj. , etc. Obsolete .
preclarent 1623 Excellent.
prime a1637– colloquial . In weakened or ironic use: excellent, splendid; marvellous. Chiefly in predicative use, or as int.
prestantious 1638 Characterized by excellence; excellent.
splendid 1644– Excellent; very good or fine.
sterling 1647– Of character, principles, qualities, occasionally of persons: Thoroughly excellent, capable of standing every test.
licking 1648– That licks. Of a flame: = lambent , adj. Also slang , first-rate, ‘splendid’ (cf. thumping , adj. 2, whacking , adj. ).
spanking a1666– Very big, large, or fine; exceptionally good in some respect, frequently with implication of showiness or smartness.
rattling 1690– Rapid, brisk, vigorous. Also: remarkably good.
tearing 1693– Impressive, splendid, grand; ‘ripping’, ‘rattling’, ‘stunning’. colloquial or slang . (Now rare .)
famous 1695– Used (chiefly colloquially ) as an emphatic expression of approval: Excellent, grand, magnificent, splendid, ‘capital’.
capital 1713– Excellent, outstanding, first-rate. Frequently as an exclamation of approval. Now somewhat dated .
yrare 1737– Pseudo-archaic f. rare , adj.¹
pure and — 1742–1873 pure and — : very, truly; entirely, utterly. Cf. and , conj.¹ A.I.i.5. See also sense B.1. Obsolete ( regional in later use).
daisy 1757– slang . (chiefly U.S. ). A first-rate thing or person; also as adj. First-rate, charming.
immense 1762– slang . Superlatively good, fine, splendid, etc.
elegant 1764– North American and Irish English . As a general term of approbation: very good, excellent, first-rate. Also as adv. Cf. iligant , adj.
super-extra 1774– Designating a commodity, manufactured goods, etc., of the highest quality; ( Bookbinding ) designating a premium-quality binding, typically with…
trimming 1778 That trims, in various senses of the verb; making trim, adorning, decorating; clipping, paring; colloquial or slang , ‘stunning’, ‘rattling’…
grand 1781– colloquial . Used as a general term to express strong admiration, approval, or gratification: magnificent, splendid; excellent; highly enjoyable…
gallows 1789– dialect and slang . As an intensive: Very great, excellent, ‘fine’, etc.
budgeree 1793– Good, excellent.
crack 1793– Pre-eminent, superexcellent, ‘first-class’.
dandy 1794– Fine, splendid, first-rate. colloquial (originally U.S. ). Frequently in fine and dandy .
first rate 1799– As an emphatic expression of praise or approval: extremely good, excellent.
smick-smack 1802– Elegant, first-rate. rare .
severe 1805– colloquial (chiefly U.S. ). A vague epithet denoting superlative quality; very big or powerful; hard to beat.
neat 1806– colloquial . Good, excellent; desirable, attractive; (weakened in later use) ‘cool’. Also as int. Chiefly U.S.
swell 1810– That is, or has the character or style of, a ‘swell’; befitting a ‘swell’. Of persons: Stylishly or handsomely dressed or equipped; of good…
stamming 1814– Fine, excellent.
divine 1818– In weaker sense: More than human, excellent in a superhuman degree. Of things: Of surpassing beauty, perfection, excellence, etc.; extraordinarily…
great 1818– colloquial (originally U.S. ). As a general term of approval: excellent, admirable, very pleasing, first-rate. Cf. sense A.III.13a.
slap-up 1823– Very or unmistakably good or fine; of superior quality, style, etc.; first-rate, first-class, grand… Of things. Now used esp. of meals.
slapping 1825– Of persons or things: Unusually large or fine; excellent, very good; strapping.
high-grade 1826– gen. Of a high grade or standard; good quality.
supernacular 1828– Esp. of drink: excellent, superb, outstanding. Cf. supernaculum , n. B.3.
heavenly 1831– colloquial . In weakened sense: excellent, wonderful, very pleasant.
jam-up 1832– Usually jam-up . Excellent, perfect; thorough. colloquial .
slick 1833– First-class, excellent; neat, in good order; smart, efficient, that operates smoothly; superficially attractive, glibly clever. (Of things, actions…
rip-roaring 1834– Full of energy and vigour; boisterous, wildly noisy; first-rate, exciting.
boss 1836– attributive . Of persons: master, chief. Of things: most esteemed, ‘champion’. Now esp. in U.S. slang : excellent, wonderful; good, ‘great’; masterly.
lummy 1838– First-rate.
flash 1840– Of a hotel, etc.: First-class, fashionable, ‘crack,’ ‘swell’.
kapai 1840– Good, fine; excellent; very pleasant.
slap 1840– = slap-up , adj.
tall 1840–52 figurative . Great in quality, excellent, good, first-class. ( U.S. slang .)
high-graded 1841– = high-grade , adj. (in various senses).
awful 1843– colloquial . In emphatic use. Cf. sense B Used to emphasize something enjoyable or positive; excellent, first-rate, tremendous.
way up 1843– Far up; very high up.
exalting 1844– That exalts (in various senses of the verb).
hot 1845– Characterized by intensity or energy, in a positive or neutral sense (cf. sense A.II.9); exciting… colloquial (originally U.S. ). Extremely good…
ripsnorting 1846– = rip-roaring , adj.
clipping 1848– slang . Excellent, first-rate.
stupendous 1848– In weakened sense: extremely good or pleasing; marvellous, splendid.
fly 1849– Chiefly U.S. (esp. in African American usage). Stylish, sophisticated, fashionable; attractive, good-looking; (later also more generally)…
raving 1850– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Worth raving about; superlative, stunning.
shrewd 1851– As an intensive, qualifying a word denoting something in itself bad, irksome, or undesirable: Grievous… ‘Hard to beat’, formidable. rare .
jammy 1853– Covered with jam, sticky. Also figurative ( colloquial ), excellent; very lucky or profitable; easy, ‘soft’.
slashing 1854– Very large or fine; splendid. Now chiefly Australian .
rip-staving 1856– Boisterous, rollicking; impressive, excellent. Also as an intensifier. Cf. rip-roaring , adj. , ripsnorting , adj.
ripping 1858– slang . Excellent, splendid; ‘rattling’. Now somewhat archaic .
screaming 1859– transferred and figurative . slang . First-rate, splendid.
up to dick 1863– slang and regional . up to dick : up to a proper or high standard; excellent; (also) properly, suitably; excellently; to a high standard.
nifty 1865– Chiefly U.S. Smart, stylish; attractive; of good quality.
premier cru 1866– A growth or vineyard that produces wine of a superior grade; the wine itself. Also in extended use and figurative . Cf. cru , n. , growth , n.¹ 1d and…
slap-bang 1866– = slap-up , adj. a.
clinking 1868– slang . Used intensively, as adj. or adv. , like chopping , clipping , whacking , rattling , etc.
marvellous 1868– colloquial . In weakened sense (formerly sometimes regarded as an affectation in speech): extremely good or pleasing; splendid.
rorty 1868– Boisterous, rowdy; saucy; jolly, cheery. Also: dissipated, profligate; (of a song, story, etc.) lively, risqué; (of a drink) intoxicating.
terrific 1871– As an enthusiastic term of commendation: amazing, impressive; excellent, exceedingly good, splendid.
spiffing 1872– Excellent, first-rate, very good, etc.; fine or smart in, or with regard to, dress or appearance. Also as adv.
top tier 1879– Of or belonging to the highest or upper level, class, or grade; first-rate.
all wool and a yard wide 1882– Phrases and proverbial sayings. (a) against the wool : contrary to the direction in which wool naturally lies, the wrong way. (b) to draw (pull, †spr …
gorgeous 1883– colloquial . Used as an epithet of strong approbation. (Cf. splendid , adj. )
nailing 1883 colloquial . Good, excellent. Obsolete . rare .
stellar 1883– Having the quality of a star ( star , n.¹ I.4); leading, outstanding. Originally and chiefly U.S.
gaudy 1884– slang . In negative sentences: Very good.
fizzing 1885– slang . First-rate, excellent; chiefly quasi- adv.
réussi 1885– Fine, excellent; successful.
ding-dong 1887– colloquial (originally English regional , later chiefly Australian ). Excellent, great; extraordinary; exciting.
jim-dandy 1888– Remarkably fine, outstanding.
extra-special 1889– Applied to a special extra (sometimes the latest) edition of a newspaper, etc. Also as n. : such an edition. Hence transferred and figurative …
yum-yum 1890– Excellent, first-class; delectable.
out of sight 1891– slang (originally U.S. ). Excellent, incomparable, wonderful, extraordinary. Cf. outasight , adj.
outasight 1893– Excellent, incomparable; = out of sight , adj. B.2. Also as int. : fantastic.
smooth 1893– Superior, excellent, ‘classy’; clever, ‘neat’. colloquial (originally U.S. ).
top-of-the-basket 1894– Of high calibre; excellent; outstanding.
corking 1895– Unusually fine, large, or excellent; stunning. Also adv.
large 1895– slang (originally and chiefly U.S. ). Of a period of time: enjoyable, exciting; excellent.
super 1895– Of a product, model, etc.: that is of the highest quality or is especially well designed for its purpose.
hot dog 1896– North American slang . Of outstanding quality or merit; skilful; flashy, ostentatious.
bad 1897– As a general term of approbation: good, excellent, impressive; esp. stylish or attractive.
to die for 1898– colloquial (originally U.S. ). to die for : (chiefly used predicatively) as if worth dying for; extremely good or highly desirable. Also in to die …
yummy 1899– Delicious, delectable; also as int.
deevy 1900– ‘Divine’; delightful, sweet, charming.
peachy 1900– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Excellent, marvellous, great; (of a woman) attractive, desirable.
hi 1901– Chiefly in advertising or commercial contexts: = high , adj. Frequently in compounds, as hi-def , hi-res , hi-top . Compare lo , adj.
v.g. 1901– Very (in various phrases, as v.g. very good, v.h.c. very highly commended, etc.).
v.h.c. 1901– Very (in various phrases, as v.g. very good, v.h.c. very highly commended, etc.).
divvy 1903– Extremely pleasant, ‘divine’, ‘heavenly’.
doozy 1903– Remarkable, excellent; also, amazing, incredible.
game ball 1905– Irish English . In predicative use: in very good health, spirits, etc.; fine, excellent.
goodo 1905– Chiefly New Zealand and Australian . In predicative use: good; excellent; (also in weaker sense) satisfactory, all right.
bosker 1906– Good, excellent, delightful. Cf. bonzer , n. & adj. & adv. Hence as n.
crackerjack 1910– Exceptionally fine or good; of marked excellence or ability.
smashing a1911– colloquial . Very good; greatly pleasing; excellent; sensational.
jake 1914– Excellent, admirable, fine, ‘O.K.’
keen 1914– transferred . Of things, substances, or agencies that affect the senses. Jolly good, very nice, splendid. colloquial (originally U.S. ).
posh 1914– Smart, stylish, splendid; luxurious. Also (chiefly British ): typical of or belonging to the upper class; (affecting to be) superior or genteel…
bobby-dazzling 1915–
juicy 1916– figurative . Excellent, vigorous, first-rate; serious; profitable.
pie on 1916– Very good, excellent.
jakeloo 1919– In the same sense.
snodger 1919– Excellent, very good, first-rate. Also as adv. and n.
whizz-bang 1920– Striking, flashy, and impressive; very exciting or appealing. Also more generally: exceptionally good, excellent.
wicked 1920– Excellent, splendid; remarkable. slang (originally U.S. ).
four-star 1921– Designating a (high) rank in a grading system for hotels, etc., usually with four or five grades; also transferred , of a high degree of excellence.
wow 1921– Exciting or expressing admiration and delight.
Rolls-Royce 1922– Suggestive or characteristic of a Rolls-Royce or an owner of a Rolls-Royce; spec. of the highest quality; luxurious, excellent.
wizard 1922– slang . Excellent, marvellous, very good.
barry 1923– Originally: fine, grand, smart or attractive in appearance. In later use chiefly: good, great, excellent.
nummy 1923– Of food: delicious, yummy, especially tasty or tempting. Also: designating an interjection that expresses one's pleasure in a particular food.
ripe 1923– colloquial . Fine, excellent; thoroughgoing (also used ironically).
shrieking 1926– figurative . Great, excellent, splendid.
righteous 1930– U.S. slang (originally in African American usage). Excellent, wonderful; ‘cool’.
marvy 1932– = marvellous , adj. A.2.
cool 1933– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Originally in African American usage: (as a general term of approval) admirable, excellent. Cf. hot , adj. A.II.12c.
plenty 1933– U.S. slang (in African American usage). Excellent.
brahma a1935– Excellent, great.
smoking 1934– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Frequently in form smokin' . Originally Jazz . Very lively, energetic, or exciting; performing or performed at a very…
crazy 1935– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Expressing approval: excellent, great, fantastic. Cf. cool , adj. A.8b.
solid 1935– U.S. slang . In the language of jazz: excellent, first-rate, ‘great’; (see also quot. 1937). Also as int. solid sender : see solid sender at sender , n. …
mellow 1936– slang (originally and chiefly Jazz and among African Americans). Pleasing or satisfying in any respect; excellent; skilful.
groovy 1937– Playing, or capable of playing, jazz or similar music brilliantly or easily; ‘swinging’; appreciative of such music, ‘hep’, sophisticated; hence as…
tough 1937– U.S. slang (originally and chiefly in African American usage). Excellent, great, admirable.
bottler 1938– Extremely good; excellent, great, fantastic.
fantastic 1938– In trivial use: excellent, good beyond expectation. colloq.
ready c1938– U.S. slang (chiefly Jazz ). Well prepared or practised; (hence) excellent, first-rate. Now rare .
ridge 1938– Good; all right; genuine.
super-duper 1938– Used for emphasis: especially large, powerful, etc.; very good or impressive; exceptional, marvellous, super.
extraordinaire 1940– Remarkable, outstanding; of a person: unusually active or successful in a particular field. Used postpositively.
rumpty 1940– Excellent, outstanding.
sharp 1940– As a general term of approbation. Originally U.S. slang . Excellent, fine.
dodger 1941– Good, excellent.
grouse 1941– Extremely good; excellent, outstanding, great.
perfecto 1941– Perfect; excellent.
pipperoo 1945– Very pleasing; remarkable.
real gone 1946– slang (originally and chiefly U.S. ). Excellent; very inspired or excited; ‘out of this world’. Esp. in real gone . Now somewhat dated .
bosting 1947– Excellent, superb.
supersonic 1947– colloquial . Excellent, wonderful, admirable, very exciting. Also as int.
top 1947– colloquial (chiefly British , Australian and New Zealand ). Excellent, great, fantastic. Cf. tops , adj.
tops 1948– Chiefly British , Australian and New Zealand . Excellent, great, fantastic. Cf. top , adj. B.5.
whizzo 1948– Excellent, wonderful.
neato 1951– That is excellent, desirable, or ‘neat’; wonderful, ‘fantastic’. Also as int. See neat , adj. A.I.5a.
peachy-keen 1951– Excellent, wonderful.
ridgey-dite 1953– All right. Cf. ridge , adj.
ridgy-didge 1953– Good; all right; genuine; = ridge , adj.
whizzing 1953– Excellent, ‘smashing’. slang .
badass 1955– Belligerent or intimidating; ruthless; tough. Also as a general term of approval: formidable, superlative (cf. bad , adj. A.IV.13).
wild 1955– U.S. slang . Remarkable, unusual, exciting. Used as a general term of approbation.
belting 1956– colloquial (chiefly British ). Excellent, outstanding.
magic 1956– colloquial . In weakened use: superlatively good, excellent, fantastic. Frequently as int.
bitching 1957– slang . Frequently in form bitchin' . Expressing admiration, approval, or enthusiasm: great, excellent, wonderful; very attractive or appealing…
swinging 1958– Uninhibited, ignoring conventions; lively and up to date: applied to persons, places ( swinging London ), etc., and spec. to the 1960s ( swinging Sixties …
a treat 1959– a treat ( adv. & adj. ): so as to gratify highly; extremely well; also ( gen. or ironically ) extremely, excessively. colloquial .
ginchy 1959– Attractive, esp. sexually; cool, excellent, fashionable.
ridiculous 1959– Originally Jazz slang . Outstanding, excellent; unbelievably good. Cf. crazy , adj. II.8.
fab 1961– = fabulous , adj. 5b. Also as n.
bad-assed 1962– = badass , adj.
uptight 1962– In approbation: that reaches the desired standard; excellent, fine.
diggish 1963– Excellent, splendid.
cracker 1964– slang (chiefly New Zealand ). Fine, excellent; exceptional of its kind.
marv 1964– = marvellous , adj. A.2. Cf. marvy , adj.
radical 1964– slang .(a) Originally Surfing challenging; extreme; (b) (more generally) excellent, fantastic; = awesome , adj. A.1c. Cf. rad , adj.³
bakgat 1965– Very good, excellent.
unreal 1965– colloquial (originally North American slang ). Incredibly or extraordinarily good or bad.
pearly 1966– British colloquial . More generally: fine, excellent.
slamming 1967– colloquial . Frequently in form slammin' . Originally U.S. Of popular music: having a prominent, danceable beat or propulsive rhythm; (hence more…
together 1968– Fashionable, up-to-date; hence used as a general term of commendation. slang .
safe 1970– slang (originally South African ). Good, excellent; okay, all right. Also as int.
brilliant 1971– figurative . In weakened use: amazing, ‘fantastic’. colloquial .
fabby 1971– = fab , adj. Cf. fabbo , adj.
schmick 1972– Smart, stylish; admirable, excellent.
butt-kicking 1973– Aggressive, violent, tough; strong, powerful. Also: excellent or impressive.
ripper 1973– Excellent, fantastic.
Tiffany 1973– Used allusively to denote organizations, etc., considered equal to Tiffany and Co. in high-quality craftsmanship or exclusiveness. Also Tiffany-type …
bodacious 1976– slang (originally and chiefly U.S. ) Excellent, fabulous, great.
rad 1976– (a) Originally Skateboarding . Challenging, risky; extreme; = radical , adj. A.11(a). (b) More generally: admirable, excellent, fashionable; ‘cool’; =…
kif 1978– As a general term of approval: admirable, excellent, cool.
awesome 1979– colloquial (originally U.S. ). As a general term of approval: excellent, fantastic, great. See also sense C
death 1979– Excellent, impressive, outstanding. Cf. def , adj.
killer 1979– attributive or as adj. Very effective; excellent, ‘sensational’ (frequently applied to popular music). Cf. killer-diller , n. slang .
top banana 1979– Excellent, first-rate.
shiok 1980– As a general term of approval: admirable, enjoyable, excellent.
stonking 1980– Excellent, amazing; considerable, powerful.
brill 1981– = brilliant , adj. A.2c.
dope 1981– Chiefly among rap musicians and enthusiasts: excellent, great, impressive.
mint 1982– colloquial . Excellent, great.
to die 1982– colloquial (originally U.S. ). to die for : (chiefly used predicatively) as if worth dying for; extremely good or highly desirable. Also in to die …
epic 1983– colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S. ). Particularly impressive or remarkable; excellent, outstanding.
kicking 1983– Exciting, lively; great, excellent. slang .
fabbo 1984– = fab , adj. Also as int. Cf. fabby , adj.
mega 1985– Excellent, great. Usually in predicative use.
ill 1986– slang (originally U.S. , in the language of rap and hip-hop). Excellent, attractive; fashionable.
barnstorming 1988– Originally: characteristic or reminiscent of a barnstormer (in sense barnstormer , n. 1); melodramatic, excessively theatrical or exaggerated…
sound 1988– colloquial and regional (chiefly Irish English and British ). In weakened use (of things or persons): good, reliable; impressive, excellent…
posho 1989– British colloquial (frequently depreciative ). Smart, stylish; typical of or belonging to the upper class; = posh , adj.
poptastic 1990– Designating or relating to a very good recording or performance of pop music. Also more generally: fantastic, excellent.
pukka 1991– British slang . Excellent, superb; ‘cool’.
lovely jubbly 1992– colloquial . Excellent, fantastic.
shagadelic 1997– Sexy, esp. in a psychedelic or ‘retro’ way. Also as a general term of approval.
awesomesauce 2001– Extremely good; excellent.
nang 2002– As a general term of approval: good, excellent, cool.
bess 2006– Excellent, marvellous, great; (of food) very enjoyable, delicious; (of a person) very attractive.
amazeballs 2008– Extremely good or impressive.
boasty 2009– Bermudian English . Good, excellent, impressive, cool.
daebak 2009– As a general term of approval: excellent, fantastic, great.
beaut 2013– Beautiful; (also) excellent, impressive, admirable. Also ironic .
seemly a1225– Of a person, his or her figure, etc.: Of a pleasing or goodly appearance, fair, well-formed, handsome, ‘proper’. Obsolete exc. dialect .
featous 1340–1600 Of persons and their limbs: Well-formed, well-proportioned, handsome.
jolly ?a1366– Good-looking; handsome; fair, pretty. Now only dialect .
tretis ?a1366–1490 Well-proportioned, neat, graceful, handsome.
comely a1375– Of a person: attractive, beautiful, handsome; graceful, elegant. In later use also: pleasant in appearance but not strikingly beautiful. Now literary .
well-beseen c1374–1542 Seen, viewed; having an appearance, looking. well-beseen : good looking, well favoured. Obsolete .
favourable a1398–1590 Winning favour; hence, pleasing, agreeable, beautiful, comely. Obsolete .
farrand c1400–89 Of a person: Well-favoured, comely, handsome. Obsolete .
personable ?1435– Pleasing in appearance; good-looking; presentable.
covenant c1440 = convenable , adj.¹ 4.
likely c1450–1917 Of attractive appearance; good-looking, pretty, handsome. Obsolete .
trety ?c1450 = tretis , adj.
tret 1488 = tretis , adj. (Cf. trety , adj. )
decore ?a1513–53 Comely, beautiful.
jimp ?a1513– Slender, slim, delicate, graceful, neat. (A Scottish or northern word, introduced in 19th cent. into English literature.)
wally ?a1513– Used as an indefinite term of admiration: handsome, fine, excellent. Also (a) (of people and animals): bonny, plump; thriving; (b) (of things)…
smotter ?1520–34 ? Pretty, handsome.
snout-fair 1530–1644 Having a fair countenance; fair-faced, comely, handsome.
well-looking 1613– Of a person: of good or attractive appearance; physically attractive. Now archaic and rare .
comely-looking 1648–
personal 1658–1888 Attractive, handsome; presentable; = personable , adj. 1a. Obsolete . rare .
comely-looked 1664–
winsome 1677– Pleasing or attractive in appearance, handsome, comely; of attractive nature or disposition, of winning character or manners.
tidy 1714 In good condition, or of good appearance; fair, well-favoured, comely, bonny; fat, plump, healthy. In quot. 1340 –70, showy, gorgeous. Now dialect .
good-looking 1715– Of a person: of good or pleasing appearance; (now usually) physically attractive, esp. having a beautiful face. Cf. well-looking , adj. 1.
well to be seen 1809– Chiefly Scottish and English regional ( northern ). well to be seen (also ( rare ) well to see ): (of a person) good-looking, attractive.

Þa wæs wundor micel þæt se winsele wiðhæfde heaþodeorum, þæt he on hrusan ne feol, fæger foldbold.

Þeah..we mid þam feȝereste ȝymstanes all uten embihangene beon,..þeah cymeð þe bitter deaþ and todæleþ all þæt.

Ðar haueð elch patriarche..and uirgines maked faier bode inne to wunien.

He..bið al swa is an eppel iheoweð, he bið wið-uten feire and frakel wið-innen.

For a day he wente on hontethþ..In a fayr wode in deorsete.

A.. fair cuntre þe flom ran þourȝe feire to se.

Divers tenementes and feier places bilded ther.

He bryng forthe euery yere feyre floures.

The fayre toune of Compaigne.

Carrie him..to my fairest Chamber.

He hath already a fayre and large pew in the church.

The same Wicker-work, but much fairer .

A violet.. Fair as a star, when only one Is shining in the sky.

The Ingoldsby lands are broad and fair .

The very finest and fairest Meissen china.

Shine on, fair star, but my lone way Leads to the glamor of the day.

I have been working continuously on the roads of your fair city for some nine months now.

Hi ealle wurdon awende of ðam fægeran [ a 1225 Vespasian MS. A. xxii feȝre] hiwe þe hi on gescapene wæron to laðlicum deoflum.

Geaf he & sealde þæt betste hors & þæs fægerestan hiwes [eOE Tanner MS. þæs fægerestan eondes; Latin equum optimum ] Aidane þam bysceope.

Hire.. feire & freoliche ȝuheðe.

Þi godenes & þi feire hew.

As fayre semblaunt than shewed he me..as aforne dyd he.

Iudith..with hir fayre bewtye hath discomfited him.

Uppon the third part of the height of Scapus, ye shall make the half compas, through the which ye may finde a faire diminishing.

The Saluages weare faire colours in some of their attire.

My aim and whole desire is, your fair Beauty.

Two columns of the same fair hue Support the dome below.

The Captain and his wife were both in the fairest prime of middle age.

A sweet gravity about her..as charming in her white-haired age as in her fair youth!

A spot where Dame Nature in her own fair beauty sets an example of innate charm.

Beauty in itself is not an indication of good, for many poisonous things have a fair appearance.

fair Old English– Beautiful to the eye; of attractive appearance; good-looking. Cf. foul , adj. I.7a. Now somewhat archaic … Of appearance, colour, personal qualities or…
unblended c1340– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unspotted 1455– Not morally stained; unblemished, pure. Of character, qualities, etc.
unviolated 1555– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
uncorrupted 1571– Of personal attributes, actions, etc.
unattainted 1597– Unstained, unspotted; free from blemish.
uninfected 1628– Not infected or tainted with sedition, heresy, vice, or the like. Also const. by , with .
unvitiated a1637– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unsullied 1659– In figurative use.
unabused 1661– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unadulterate 1664– Not adulterated or corrupted. Also absol.
candid 1667– figurative . Pure, clear; stainless, innocent. archaic .
unwarped 1744– Not warped ( literal and figurative ).
unspecked 1781– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
pure-minded 1789– Having a pure mind, pure of mind.
unblenched 1813– Unstained, untarnished.
unsunned 1843– Not touched or affected by the light or heat of the sun. Also figurative .
unattaint 1850– = unattainted , adj. 1.
unsubverted 1872– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unsmutched 1879– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unshadowed 1891– Not covered or darkened by shadow.

Ðone wudu weardaþ wundrum fæger fugel feþrum strong, se is fenix haten.

Him þuhte þæt he gesawe gan up of þam flode seofon fægre oxan [Latin boves pulchrae ] & swiþe fætte, & hi man læsude on morigum lande.

Riche men..habbeð.. feire hors.

Panter is an wilde der, Is non fairere on werlde her.

The she calf fair and shapli Egipt.

This is a fayr hawke.

Ye that ride upon fayre Asses.

A sea Gull among a sort of faire swannes.

A Bayliffe of South Holland, who hadde taken a goodly faire Cowe from him.

A partridge plump, full-fed, and fair .

The fair Hind should shrink from the Place, touched with Somewhat, either of Fear or Frolic.

The fairest herd in the Halidome.

I never saw anything so beautiful as the soft yellow plumes on your wings! they seem like the breast or pinion of a fair bird!

I have..witnessed fights of no mean order between the claimants to the favours of some fair hind.

Faire fader, bi mi feiþ folili ȝe wrouȝten.

Ha faire sires he was but late byheedyd.

Feyre sone, for youre sake shall I suffir the deth.

Ye be welcome fayre sister, with my fayre Nephew your sonne.

Faire sir, God saue you.

My fate Comes on too soon, and I repent too late. Fair Queen, forgive.

For know, fair Prince! in Truth's unbiass'd state, The proud are little, and the lowly great.

‘So much for your lineage, fair sir,’ replied his companion.

Even so, fair my lord.

How many times shall we make the round of the driveway, my fair lady?

You're being remarkably patient with my prattling, fair lord, man of action that you are.

good Old English– Of a person: distinguished by admirable or commendable qualities; worthy, estimable, fine. Used in addressing or referring to someone in a courteous…
lief Old English–1632 Beloved, dear, agreeable, acceptable, precious. Also lief and dear . Used in addressing a person. Obsolete .
sweet a1225– In forms of address, frequently affectionate, but formerly also (now archaic ) respectful or complimentary.
beau c1300–1522 Used in affection, friendship, or politeness, in addressing relations, friends, etc. (usually with their French titles): equal to the English ‘fair’…
gentle c1330– Used in addressing or referring to someone in a courteous or respectful manner, or as a complimentary epithet.
comely a1375–1600 Applied in a respectful or honorific manner when speaking of or to a king, queen, or Christ. Obsolete .
courteous a1375– As a polite epithet, chiefly as a form of address, esp. (in early use) towards a person of superior rank or status (cf. sense 2a). Now archaic .
fair a1375– Beautiful to the eye; of attractive appearance; good-looking. Cf. foul , adj. I.7a. Now somewhat archaic … Used in forms of courteous, respectful…
reverent c1410–1721 = reverend , adj. A.2. Obsolete .
reverend 1422–1889 Of a person: worthy of being treated with deep respect or held in high esteem on account of age… As a courteous or respectful form of address. In…
virtuous ?1473– As (part of) a title of courtesy, esp. in addressing or referring to ladies of rank or eminence. Now archaic .
singular 1485–1638 Used in forms of address, esp. to a person of title. Obsolete . (Common in the 16th cent.)
lucky 1568–1662 Of a woman: good, blessed; attractive. Cf. lucky , n.¹ Obsolete .
respectable 1749– Used more generally to make polite reference to a person (formerly frequently in forms of address). Now somewhat archaic .

If we fynde ouȝte þat faire one in fere nowe.

What from our faire neighbour?.. Yea Sir... Well..they are from a clenly woman.

I..can by no meanes approve the ambition of your fayre neighbour.

To the obliging Fair One , tho' unknown, Each takes his over-flowing Brimmer down.

The confessing Lover..ascribes all to the Bounty of the Fair one .

A Note..which my fair Correspondent had taken Opportunity of leaving.

My fair readers must excuse me.

O for a soft and gentle wind! I heard a fair one cry.

The fairer section of our party are startled at the crowds of men in the streets.

The new spring hats for the fairer part of the population.

Away to Poseur's Bar for Easter drinkies, shared perchance with a fair companion.

female a1382– Of human beings, as persons (cf. sense B.I.1c).
womanish a1393– That is considered to be characteristic of a woman; womanly, feminine. Frequently derogatory .
fair a1450– Beautiful to the eye; of attractive appearance; good-looking. Cf. foul , adj. I.7a. Now somewhat archaic … Applied to a woman or to women collectively…
women's-kins c1450–1534 The female sex, women.
feminate a1533– = feminine , adj. (in various senses).
womankind ?c1570–1879 In predicative use. Female. Obsolete .
womenkind 1571– In predicative use. Female; = womankind , n. 1c Now rare .
sex 1700 In predicative use, without the . Feminine. Obsolete . rare .
mollyish 1801– Like or characteristic of a molly ( molly , n.¹ 2); (of a man or boy) exhibiting qualities or behaviour regarded as more appropriate for women or…
petticoated 1824– Wearing a petticoat or petticoats; (hence) female, feminine, emasculated.
femme 1925– Chiefly North American . Esp. in the entertainment industry and in journalistic use: of or relating to a femme; designating a femme (sense A.1)…

I am the simplest Artist, that euer looked fayre Rhetorique, or sweet Poetry in the face.

Fair Charity hath eyes, and can discern.

Fair Science, thy Bright Eye her Looking-Glass she makes.

There stript, fair Rhet'ric languish'd on the ground.

Fair freedom, taught..to feel The rabble's rage.

Fair Hope expands her feeblest wing and lifts her faintest eye.

That young, shining company who came To keep alive Fair Freedom's sacred Flame.

Aye those were the times when fair fortune smiled upon us, mor'n most folks.

fair 1593– Beautiful to the eye; of attractive appearance; good-looking. Cf. foul , adj. I.7a. Now somewhat archaic … Of an abstract quality personified.

Wlitig is se wong eall, wynnum geblissad mid þam fægrestum foldan stencum.

Æfter þam wordum werod wæs on salum, sungon sigebyman, (segnas stodon), on fægerne sweg.

And ða earan aslawiað, þa þe ær wæron ful swifte and hræde to gehyrenne fægere dreamas and sangas.

A faire voys..plesiþ nouȝt onliche men.

A fayr reflayr ȝet fro hit flot.

Of euery speche, of euery soun Be hyt eyther foule or faire .

Pricksong is a faire musicke, so it bee done vpon the booke surely and after a good sorte.

Disproportion'd sin Jarr'd against natures chime, and with harsh din Broke the fair musick.

Sweet voices, and fair sounds, should accompany all rime.

I've seen the lilly of the vale With sweetest, fairest fragrance bloom.

I can advise no young man who has not a fair voice to think of being a teacher of elocution.

The fair sounds of the choiring birds.

Only the fairer scents of roasting meat and new-baked bread made the place bearable.

fair Old English– Of a sound, smell, etc.: pleasant, agreeable; delightful. Cf. foul , adj. I.1b.
lithe Old English– Of things, chiefly material things: Mild, soft; also, agreeable, mellow, pleasant. Of a medicine: Gentle in operation. Obsolete exc. dialect .
soft Old English– Producing agreeable or pleasant sensations; characterized by ease and quiet enjoyment; of a calm or placid character; spec. (of sleep) undisturbed…
lickerous c1275–1603 Pleasing or tempting to the palate. Also gen. and figurative : Sweet, pleasant, delightful.
delicious a1325– Extremely pleasing to the senses, esp. to the taste or smell; providing great sensual pleasure; delectable; (now usually) very appetizing, highly…
kindly a1382– Pleasant, agreeable; acceptable. Now rare .
kind a1398–1774 Pleasant, agreeable, acceptable. Cf. kindly , adj. II.7. Obsolete .
sugared 1426– figurative . Full of sweetness; honeyed, luscious, delicious. With lit. language retained.
feelsome a1450– Pleasing to the senses.
agreeable c1450– Without construction. That pleases a person; enjoyable, likeable, pleasant. (Now the most common sense.)
comfortable c1460–1713 Pleasing or grateful to the senses. Obsolete .
favourous c1485–1775 (a) Full of favour, obliging. (b) Adapted to win favour, pleasing.
grateful 1553– Pleasing to the mind or the senses, agreeable, acceptable, welcome. Now only of things.
sugar candy 1575– Extremely sweet or pleasant.
lickerish 1595–1728 Pleasant to the palate; gen. sweet, tempting, attractive; = lickerous , adj. 1. Of a cook: Skilful in preparing dainties. Obsolete .
savouring 1595 Able to be savoured; pleasing. Obsolete . rare .
maumy 1728– Mellow; soft and insipid; (of weather) mild, humid. Also (in extended use): pleasant, agreeable.
tasty 1796– figurative . Pleasant, agreeable, attractive.
lekker 1900– Pleasant, sweet, nice.

Þa com he Crist togeanes þam wifum grette heo þa sona fægrum wordum, and him cwæð to, Hauete , wesað hale.

We habbað nu gesæd sceortlice on Englisc þis halige godspell.., þa nacedan word ana; ac we nu wyllað mid fægerum [ c 1175 Bod. MS. 343 fæȝerum] andgite hi gefrætewian eow.

To tyte lyuy wellyng with þe mylk welle of fayre speche, we han Iredd sum noble men to han Icommen.

Hurre fayre speche ys turnyd into grucchyng.

If hise [ sc. Antichrist's] clerkis cunne speke fayre latyne.

To tret a mater in fayr dyte.

How weake a creature Soft woman is to beate the seidge and strength, Of so preuailing feature, and faire language, As that of his is euer.

The Noble Venetian having heard this fair Speech, told them, He was glad to see the great Zeal they had for the Soul of his Kinswoman.

I shall give my Opinion on that Head in very fair Words, and very fair Language.

‘Well, what say you, Annetje?’ cried her father; ‘will you thank this youth for his fair speech?’

You have a fair tongue, so I'll give you something better than food.

fair Old English– Of language, speech, etc.: polished, elegant; eloquent, well expressed. Cf. foul , adj. II.16. archaic and rare after 18th cent.
facund c1381– Eloquent; also figurative , said of beauty, etc.
rhetorian ?c1400–50 Relating to or arising from the art of rhetoric. Obsolete .
facundious 1430–1721 Of persons: Gifted with fluent speech; eloquent, glib. Of speech: Copious, fluent.
rhetorical c1450–1594 Eloquent; (of writing or speech) elegant. Obsolete .
elegant c1475– Of language, literature, or literary style: characterized by harmonious simplicity in the choice and arrangement of words; free from awkwardness…
rhetorial 1521– Rhetorical.
concinnate 1548– adj. Of language: Skilfully put together, appropriately arranged; of studied elegance or beauty.
humane 1552– Designating those texts or branches of study which concern humanity, or which (historically) have been regarded as exercising a civilizing influence…
concinne 1569–1659 Well fitted together, skilfully arranged; harmonious.
Attic 1633– Having characteristics peculiarly Athenian; hence , of literary style, etc.: Marked by simple and refined elegance, pure, classical. Attic salt or Atti …
compt 1633–70 Of discourse or style: Elegant.
concinnated 1868– = concinnate , adj.
stylish 1892– In occasional uses: having ‘style’ (in various senses: see style , n. II.14, III.23).
Atticistic 1919–

Me nædre beswac and me neodlice to forsceape scyhte,..fah wyrm þurh fægir word.

Se fakenfulla fægere word sprecð oft and on his modes digolnysse macað syrwunga.

Ic habbe beswiken min emcristen mid faire wordes.

Fauuel with feir speche haþ brouȝt hem to-gedere.

He mote be war þat faire biheste, ne veyn glorie, ne coueitise ne bigile him not.

By fayre speche..the Kynge scaped oute of the Bisshoppys handes.

By hys dyssymulatyon & fare wordys.

Many..desire to make a faire shew in the flesh.

A fair tale was made to the Pastor of the Parish.

After all your fair speeches..and Kissing and Hugging.

More Words must be used, to gloss over the Reasoning, and give it a fair Appearance.

He has dayly made Application but has not Received anything yet but fair promises.

They have no disguises, no fair outward appearance to conceal the mischief that lurks in their hearts.

The Sophists have plenty of brave words and fair devices.

The liberals..who will probably be misled again by anyone who makes them fair promises.

Those with the darkest, most sinister plans always cloak their efforts in fair words.

fair Old English– Esp. of speech or words: ostensibly pleasant or attractive, but intended to deceive or to conceal an ulterior motive; specious; insincere, flattering.
seeming 1340– Apparent to the senses or to the mind, as distinct from what is .
feigned c1374–1654 Of persons, their manner, faces, etc.: Made up to a certain appearance, got up for a purpose; hence, deceitful, insincere. Obsolete .
colourable a1400– Having an appearance of truth or trustworthiness; plausible; reasonable; (esp. in early use) specious. Now rare .
white a1413–1825 Esp. of words: calculated to make a favourable impression; plausible; specious. Obsolete ( Scottish in later use).
coloured ?c1425–1882 Of a fact, argument, etc.: presented or manipulated so as to appear true or trustworthy; valid in appearance only; specious. Cf. colourable , adj. 1a…
satiable c1487–1652 Satisfying; satisfactory, acceptable, agreeable. Cf. satisfiable , adj. 1. Obsolete .
provable 1588 Worthy of acceptance or belief, plausible; = probable , adj. A.1. Obsolete .
specious 1611– Of pretences, pretexts, etc.
well-seeming a1616– That appears to be good or well-intentioned.
superficial 1616– That has only the outward appearance of being what is denoted by the noun; appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.
meretricious 1633– Alluring by false show; showily or superficially attractive but having in reality no value or integrity.
glossed a1640– Of immaterial things: Wearing an outside show, made to look specious.
probable 1639 That commends itself to the mind; worthy of acceptance or belief, acceptable, believable. Occasionally in negative sense: plausible, specious. Now…
spurious 1646– Superficially resembling or simulating, but lacking the genuine character or qualities of, something… Of qualities, conditions, etc.
fucatious 1654–60 Of the nature of ‘fucation’, fair-seeming, specious, deceitful.
ostensible 1762– Declared, avowed, professed; presented (esp. untruthfully or misleadingly) as actual; stated or appearing to be genuine, but not necessarily so…
well-looking 1811 figurative . Of an idea: attractive, specious. Obsolete . rare .
semblant 1840– Seeming, apparent, counterfeit.
honeyed 1435– figurative . Sweet, pleasant, delightful; (of speech, words, music, etc.) soothing, soft, mellifluous.
glozed 1509 In senses of the verb: Provided with glosses, commented on; speciously adorned; specious.
fair-tongued 1541– Pleasant and charming of speech; spec. (esp. in early use) using flattery for one's own ends.
fine 1568– Flattering, complimentary; deceptively or insincerely approbatory; (also) of the nature of empty rhetoric. See also fine words butter no parsnips at butter , v. phrases P.3. Cf. also sense A.II.7b for non-depreciative use with similar collocates.
smoothed 1568– Rendered specious or plausible. rare .
smoothing a1592–1675 Plausible, blandishing, flattering. Obsolete .
sugary 1591– figurative . Deliciously or alluringly sweet; honeyed; deceitfully or flatteringly pleasant; also, excessively or offensively sweet. Also adv.
slicked 1594– In various senses of the verb. Also with back , down .
rose water 1598– In form rose-water , rosewater . Pleasant, gentle, conciliatory; refined. Now rare .
rose-watered 1599–
candied 1604– figurative . Very sweet or pleasant; honeyed.
soft 1609 Of words, language, etc. Soothing, gentle; (with negative sense) ingratiating, flattering.
courtly a1616– With negative connotation. Of a person's words, behaviour, etc.: characteristic of a sycophantic courtier; fawning. Now rare .
smooth-faced 1626– figurative . Of words, etc.: Specious, plausible.
oiled a1640 Covered, smeared, moistened, or lubricated with oil; mixed or prepared using oil. Also figurative and in figurative contexts.
blandished 1671– Invested with flattery or blandishment.
sugar 1687 In figurative use, passing into adjective (with superlative sugarest , sug(e)rest ): Sugary, sweet. Obsolete .
fair-spoken 1704 Of words or speech: bland, civil; flattering, insincere. Now rare .
smooth-tongued 1761– Marked or characterized by, of the nature of, plausibility or speciousness.
silky 1778– Of speech, manners, etc.: Smooth, pleasing, ingratiating, insinuating.
pill-gilded 1822 Gilded like a pill.
blarneyfied 1830– Blarneyed.
greasy 1848– Of manners, expression of countenance, voice, etc.: Disagreeably ‘unctuous’, ‘oily’.
blarneyed 1861– Seasoned with blarney.
soothering 1866– Blandishing, cajoling.
soothing-syrupy 1902– Of medical applications, drugs, etc.; spec. soothing powder (in quot. figurative ); soothing syrup , a medicinal preparation supposed to calm fretful…

We nu gehyraþ..hu haliglice þes eadiga wer, sanctus Martinus, his lif for Gode lifde..& hu fægerum edleanum he þæs æt urum dryhtne onfeng.

Hæfde nergend þa fægere fostorlean fæmnan forgolden ece to ealdre.

Þu schalt me a-ueir dol of heoueriche blisse.

In ech compaynye Vif þousend & vif hundred..& þat was vair [? a 1425 Digby MS. a faire] seignorie.

A c.s. off ffee or rente, wich is a feyre lyuynge ffor a yoman.

Than hath som man had a slepe of a fayre length.

Thither came to hym his brethren..wyth a faire number of men of warre, speares, & archers.

Our imagination..performeth a faire deale more in the Table, then the Painter.

A faire fortune is come to our countryman Sir Chi. Wrey.

There seems evident Profit to be in that [ sc. cheating] , for many a Man has raised a fair Estate out of that.

Men..Who, if they had not been influenced by that over-weening ignorance, might have died with fair fortunes and unblemished characters.

Scotland, since her sovereigns had succeeded to a fairer inheritance, had been independent only in name.

Giles, to whom a fair heritage was no less agreeable than a fair wife.

‘I should call that a fair win,’ replied Pat, pointing to a roll of notes in his hand.

fair Old English–1906 Of amount or extent: great, considerable, generous; (of wealth, an acquisition, etc.) large in size or amount. Cf. handsome , adj. A.5. Obsolete (in…
good Old English– Considerable in size, number, or degree; fairly large; (sometimes) spec. adequately or sufficiently… Of general or indefinite expressions of size…
goodly c1275– Notable or considerable in respect of size, quantity, or number; fairly large, sizeable.
large a1375–1906 Of a unit of measurement: full or somewhat more than full; = good , adj. A.I.11. Cf. small , adj. A.II.9b. Obsolete ( archaic in later use).
no little a1413– With negative emphasis: not much; only a slight amount or degree of; hardly any. no little : great, considerable, marked; = no small at small , adj. …
substantial 1413– Of ample or considerable amount or size; sizeable.
unleast ?1440 Not least (in value or effectiveness).
pretty a1475– Considerable, sizeable. a pretty many , †a pretty deal ( obsolete ): a good many, a good deal. Cf. pretty , adv. 1, fair , adj. A.I.5.
reasonable a1500–1726 Chiefly of a thing: considerable, large, of some account. Obsolete .
substantious 1545–84 Considerable in number, power, or influence. Cf. substantial , adj. A.I.3. Obsolete .
substantive 1575– That has a firm or solid basis; enduring; important, significant, weighty; of substantial extent or amount, considerable.
sensible 1581– Of an immaterial thing, as a quantity, magnitude, distance, etc.: large enough to be perceived or to be worth considering; appreciable…
pretty and —— 1596–1633 pretty and —— : considerably, fairly, moderately, etc.; = pretty , adv. 1. Obsolete .
goody 1597–1813 = goodly , adj. (chiefly sense 4a). Obsolete .
greatish 1611– Great or large to some degree.
considerable 1651– Worthy of consideration by reason of magnitude; somewhat, rather, or pretty large in amount, extent, duration, etc.; a good deal of (any thing…
sonsy 1721– Of a thing: pleasant, cheerful, appealing; comfortable; ample, abundant.
respectable 1736– Considerable or impressive in number, size, quantity, strength, etc.
smart 1750– colloquial and regional (now chiefly North American ). Considerable in number, amount, extent, etc.; substantial, large. See also right smart , adj.
quite a little —— 1763– Used as an (ironic) intensifier in various constructions, as quite a little —— , quite the little —— , a nice little —— , etc.
gey 1796– Tolerable, moderately good, ‘middling’; considerable, respectable; used esp. of quantity or amount, but also of quality.
smartish 1799– spec. Chiefly English regional ( midlands and southern ). Considerable in amount, degree, extent, etc. Cf. smart , adj. III.15. Now rare .
canny 1805– English regional ( northern ). Of amount, distance, time, etc.: considerable, fair.
serious 1810– Substantial, considerable, or impressive in quantity or extent; great, large, abundant. In later use sometimes colloquial or humorous .
right smart 1825– Of considerable quantity, number, etc.; (also) many, much. Cf. smart , adj. III.15.
dunnamuch 1831– Used to represent the words (I) don't know how much as said in informal conversation, in cases where how much has adverbial or adjectival…
snug 1833– Fairly large or substantial.
tidy 1839– As an indefinite epithet of admiration or commendation. Considerable (in amount or degree); ‘pretty big’. a tidy penny = ‘a pretty penny’ ( pretty …
largish 1872– Somewhat large; fairly large.
a nice little —— 1891– Used as an (ironic) intensifier in various constructions, as quite a little —— , quite the little —— , a nice little —— , etc.
significant 1898– In weakened sense: noticeable, substantial, considerable, large.
healthy 1901– spec. Of appetite or other propensity: of a size considered indicative of good health (frequently with implication of largeness). Hence ( colloquial …
beaucoup 1917– Of considerable size, length, etc.; big; significant.

Ne wæron her æfre, seoþðan Ongolcyn Breotone gesohte, gesæligran tide ne fægeran.

Þæt ne wat ænig monna cynnes, butan meotod ana, hu þa wisan sind wundorlice, fæger fyrngesceap, ymb þæs fugles gebyrd.

Fæger wæs þæt ongin þæt freodrihten geþrowode, þeoden ure.

Hwet bid..hare fare so feier biuoren alle þe oþre?

Al þat faireste [ other MSS beste] þat man haueþ to gode, he hit scolde sende.

Þer was miracle fair and god!

He of frensche þis fayre tale ferst dede translate.

To be called a kniȝte is faire..To be called a Kynge is fairer .

Ffeyre hit is to have a son þat were lord of þis worlde.

It hade bene fayrar for him to haffe sende me that querell in to wyrt.

He hadde I-made many a fair mariage.

It is ful faire to be called liberal But ay eschewe wast and be not surfetour.

At hym-self had sene hym do myraculis fare .

Oure ffader Hermogenes, þat ys full fayr in Philosophie and wel faire Philosophiant.

They sayde to the duke of Berrey, that this lady shulde be a fayre maryage for..his sonne.

Freedome is a faire thing.

Far farar is ane thousand fald to de Or leif with thame in sic meseritie.

His two sons who slew him, got exile..too fair a reward for so foul a Patricide.

The Other, S r Philip Stapleton, was a proper man, of a fair extraction.

His children..Await, like him, the soldier's fair reward, Or wealth, or honoured death.

fair Old English–1820 Excellent, admirable; good, desirable; noble, honourable; reputable. Obsolete .
goodly Old English–1600 Of good, noble, or valiant character; virtuous, honourable; (also) of distinguished attainments or bearing. Obsolete .
sele c1275–1500 Good (in various senses).
honourable c1384– Characterized by principles of honour (sense 2a); upright, honest; morally right or just. Of a thing.
just 1509–1891 With of , to . Honourable in fulfilling one's obligations or promises; loyal and steadfast. Obsolete .
ingenuous 1610– Honourably straightforward; open, frank, candid. (The current sense.)
square a1644– Of persons. Honest or straightforward in dealing with others; honourable, upright.
even down 1654– Plain, matter-of-fact, direct. Of a person: straightforward, plain-speaking, frank, honest; (also) upright, honourable, sincere. Now rare .
white 1837– colloquial (originally U.S. ). Honourable; square-dealing. Also as adv. Now somewhat rare and generally regarded as offensive .
sportsmanlike 1899– Resembling (that of) a sportsman; characteristic of or resembling a sportsman; (in later use esp. ) worthy of or befitting a ‘good sport’…
worth Old English– Of a person: of account or importance; entitled to respect or honour; worthy. In later use chiefly Scottish and U.S. (in African American usage…
worthful Old English–1913 Of a person: worthy, honourable; deserving of respect; esteemed. Also as n. (with the and plural agreement): worthy or honourable people…
worthly Old English– Of a person: estimable, honourable, worthy. Now rare and archaic .
menskful ?c1225–1600 Worshipful, honourable; gracious, beautiful. Of a building: stately. Also as n.
told c1275– Related, narrated, recounted, declared; counted, reckoned; †valued ( obsolete ). Cf. tell , v. Chiefly with preceding modifying adverb, as oft-told , well …
digne 1297–1600 Of high worth or desert; worthy, honourable, excellent (in nature, station, or estimation; cf. dignity , n. 1, 2).
of price ?a1300– Of a person: worthy, excellent; of great reputation or renown. rare and archaic after 16th cent.
worshiply 1340 Honourable.
worthy a1350– Of a person: distinguished by admirable or commendable qualities; entitled to honour or respect on this account; estimable.
mensk a1375–1450 Honourable, worshipful, beautiful.
thrifty c1374–1596 Of a person: Worthy, worshipful, estimable, respectable, well-living. Cf. thriven , adj. 2, thriving , adj. 1. Obsolete .
worshipful a1375– Of a person: distinguished in respect of character or rank; entitled to honour or respect on this account. Now archaic or historical .
worthily a1375–1450 = worthy , adj. (in various senses); esp. (of a person) honourable, estimable, noble.
honest a1382– Of a person: (originally) †holding a position of honour; distinguished, noble ( obsolete ); (hence) held in good esteem; respectable, reputable. Now…
honourable c1384–1741 Worthy of being honoured; deserving or entitled to honour, respect, esteem, or reverence; venerable. Of a person or group of people. Obsolete .
unshamed c1384– (a) Not put to shame. (b) Unashamed.
sad a1387– Of a person: orderly and regular in life; of trustworthy character and judgement; grave, serious. Also, in extended use, of a person's behaviour or…
of reputation c1390– Of high esteem or repute. Usually following a noun.
well-named a1393–1543 Having a good reputation; well spoken of. Obsolete .
reverent 1398– = reverend , adj. A.1. Now rare .
worthy (worshipful, wise) in wane a1400–1650 In the obscure alliterative phrase worthy (worshipful, wise) in wane . Cf. wone , n.²
celebrable ?c1400 Worthy of being celebrated; praiseworthy, laudable.
honoured c1400– Held in or worthy of honour; highly esteemed or respected; distinguished, dignified; celebrated.
worshipable c1425–75 Entitled to honour or respect; honourable, worshipful. Obsolete .
substantial c1449– Of a person or thing: of real worth, reliability, or repute; respected, honoured.
undefamed a1450– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unreviled ?1457– Not reviled.
honorous a1500– Honourable (in various senses).
reputed ?1532– Held in good or high repute; reputable.
well-thought-on a1533– = well-thought-of , adj. Now archaic or regional .
well-spoken 1539– Of speech: spoken truly, pleasingly, skilfully, or with propriety.
credible 1543– Having or deserving credit or repute; creditable, reputable. Now only of an action, effort, or performance.
undespised ?1548– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
imitable 1550–1781 Deserving of imitation. Obsolete .
famous 1555–1683 Of good repute, reputable. Scottish . Obsolete .
undistained 1565– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
undefame 1578 Irregular variant of undefamed , adj. Obsolete .
untarred 1579– Not smeared, etc., with tar.
well-reputed 1583– Having a good reputation; highly reputable.
unsoiled c1592– Not soiled or dirtied. Also in figurative context.
dishonourless 1595 Free from dishonour.
well-deemed 1595– Highly esteemed or regarded; of good repute; respectable.
nameworthy 1598– Noteworthy, notable; notorious.
regardful 1600–50 Worthy of notice or attention. Obsolete .
indisgraced 1606 Not disgraced; undisgraced.
credent a1616 Having credit or repute. Obsolete . rare .
undishonoured a1616– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unscandalized 1618– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unscandalous 1618– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 1.)
unslandered 1622– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
untainted 1627 Not dishonoured. rare .
dignous a1636 Worthy, honourable.
undisparaged 1636– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
considerable 1641– Of persons: Worthy of consideration or regard, important; of consequence or distinction; highly regarded or esteemed.
unbranded 1641– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
glorifiable 1651– That may be glorified.
reputable 1671– Having a good reputation; of good repute; estimable, honoured, respectable. Of a person, group of persons, company, institution, etc. Also of a…
unsullied 1743 In figurative use.
unstigmatized 1778– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2a.iii.)
undisgraced 1812– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unstained 1863– Not morally stained or sullied; unblemished, untarnished.
well-thought-of 1865– Greatly admired or respected; well-esteemed; held in good regard.
uncompromised 1882– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
scandal-proof 1904– (a) † n. see quot. 1699; (b) adj. unable to be touched by scandal.
cred 1987– Credible; fashionable, trendy.
yearningly Old English–1400 Desirable.
desiderable a1340–1611 To be desired; desirable.
desirable a1382– That may be desired or wanted; that is to be wished or hoped for; worthy of being desired or chosen. In early use sometimes simply: good…
desireful c1384–1920 That is to be desired or hoped for; desirable. Obsolete ( archaic in later use).
dainteous c1386–1548 = dainty , adj.
fair c1410 Excellent, admirable; good, desirable; noble, honourable; reputable. Obsolete .
desirous c1425– That causes or elicits desire; pleasant, lovely, beautiful. In later use also: that is to be hoped or wished for; advisable, desirable.
expetible 1569–1721 To be wished for or desired; desirable.
lustful ?1610–67 Provocative of lust. Obsolete .
appetible 1622– Worthy of being sought after, desirable.
desiderate 1640 Desired; desirable.
honeysuckle 1660– Resembling honeysuckle in colour, smell, or sweetness; sweetly-scented, desirable, or delightful. Cf. sense A.II.6.
deligible 1680 Worthy of being chosen; desirable.
wantable 1886– Esp. of a commercial product: desirable.

Ðonne wind ligeð, weder bið fæger , hluttor heofones gim halig scineð.

Swa læne is sio oferlufu eorðan gestreona, emne hit bið gelice rena scurum, þonne he of heofenum swiðost dreoseð & eft hraðe eal toglideð—bið fæger weder & beorht sunne.

Heo hæfden swiðe fair weder.

[The stars] makeþ now tempest and now faire wedir.

His seruands on a day fayre Bare him with oute to take þe ayre.

Thy synnes also shall melt awaye, like as the yse in y e fayre warme wether.

Upon Trinity Fair evin, gif it be ane fair day, and failyeing thairof the nixt fair wedders.

It will be faire weather: for the skie is red.

At Surat, Malabar..and that coast of India, is the fair season till March.

Fair Weather is the Joy of my Soul.

October..mild and fair as May.

Fog followed by fair day.., and rain came on in the night.

The morning was fair and cloudless.

The morning broke fair , if not fine.

Will tomorrow be fair weather or foul?

The weather was exceptionally fair in that September of 1905, the Baltic blue and smooth.

fair Old English– Of the weather: pleasant, clement; not wet or windy. Sometimes more strongly: bright, sunny. Cf. foul , adj. I.9a.
merry 1214–1685 Of weather, climate, a season, a day, etc.: pleasant, fine. Of a wind: favourable for sailing. Also figurative . Obsolete .
clear c1384–1633 Of the weather: originally . Full of sunshine, bright, ‘fine’; serene, ‘fair’. Obsolete . (Cf. to clear up .)
well-disposed 1477– Of the weather: favourable; clement. Now rare .
fine 1595– Of the weather, a day, etc.: bright, clear; free from rain or fog; (now often) pleasantly warm and sunny. Cf. fair , adj. A.II.7a.i.
blue-sky 1852– Characterized by the presence of a blue sky, as an indicator of pleasant weather. In extended use: cheerful, happy; optimistic.

At here comyng thei made fair wedur And spak of many thynges to-gedur.

She studied nothing else but how to loue and obey him... But this faire weather lasted not long.

Frendship maketh indeed a faire Day in the Affections, from Storme and Tempests.

If too far He launches forth beyond discretion's mark, Sudden the tempest scowls, the surges roar, Blot his fair day.

For fair weather the Act of 1844 works.

He must never forget to have his rubbers and his raincoat handy even when the diplomatic forecast is ‘ fair ’.

Are more mergers a sign of fair weather ahead?

Ealswa þæt scipferde wæs eal gegaderod, þa ferdon hio forð on þa sæ & hæfde swiðe god weder & fægre sæ on to færenne.

Þair wind to will gode and fair þai fand.

Of faire wyndes and eke of tempestes.

This fair wynd blawing evyn befor.

The winde sits faire for newes to go for Ireland.

So soon as the wind came fair aboard away we went.

Which unlucky accident happened near new haven by the master the Vessell borrowing too near the Shore with fair wind.

An Air Balloon, which they purpose dispatching to Bengal the first fair Wind.

The wind came fair , and by the help of some Greeks the William got under weigh.

If the native Americans are..determined to carry out the great measures of reform which they have proposed, they must go straight ahead... The harbor is before them, and they have a fair wind.

Is there more resistance when a ship is going against the tide than when she is going with a fair tide?

Their sails filling with a fair southerly breeze, 43 sailing yachts..crossed the starting line.

If the current is ‘ fair ’, that is, running in the same direction as you wish to sail, it will merely increase your speed.

With a fair wind, flying time from London to New York is eight hours.

I believe we have a fair wind from the government on this legislation.

With the prospect of a permanently fair wind we were aware of a decidedly feel-good factor.

fair late Old English– Originally Nautical (later also Aeronautics ). Of the wind, etc.: favourable to the course of a ship, aircraft, etc. Also figurative and in…
liking a1387–1548 Of the wind: blowing from a favourable direction. Also (of luck): fortunate, good.
menable a1393–1460 Of a wind: favourable.
good c1425– Of the wind: blowing in a favourable direction for a ship's course. Frequently in to get (also hold) a good wind . Cf. fair , adj. A.II.7b.
merry a1571 Of weather, climate, a season, a day, etc.: pleasant, fine. Of a wind: favourable for sailing. Also figurative . Obsolete .
furthering 1599 That furthers, aids, or helps; helpful. Of a gale: Favourable.
foreright 1605–32 Of a wind: Straight on the line of one's course, favourable. Obsolete .
following 1839– Of wind or tide: moving in the same direction as the course of a ship, aeroplane, or other object in motion.
contrary c1384–1875 esp. of wind, weather, etc. (Here there is contact with sense A.5)
favourable c1460– Attended with advantage or convenience; facilitating one's purpose or wishes; advantageous, helpful, suitable. Said esp. of the weather, etc.
prosperous 1555 Promoting or conducing to success; bringing prosperity; favourable, auspicious, propitious. Now archaic .
scant 1600– Nautical . Of wind: Too much ahead, so that the ship has to sail very close. Cf. scant , v. I.2 (Opposed to large or free .)
cross a1617– Of the wind: Blowing across the direct course, contrary. Also figurative . (See cross-wind , n. )
baffling 1778– Nautical . Of winds: That blow about and make straight sailing impracticable; shifting, variable.
adverse 1807– Of a person, action, agent, or force: acting against or in opposition ( to someone or something); opposing, antagonistic, actively hostile.

Thus dured Seraphe Al that day Til it was past fer noon [French bien noune ] .

Whom he arecheth shall neuer after see fayr daye.

It was than feire day.

It was faire day or he coude get into the right waye.

It was yet scarce faire daie, when..the armies..began againe the battaile.

But at last he awakes with no little astonishment, seeing both Candle and fair daylight.

If it be in fair day-light, you must escalade it several places at the same time, make sham attacks.

We get beautiful effects from wit,—all the prismatic colors,—but never the object as it is in fair daylight.

Just before fair day, we moved slowly round the place where we had seen the object.

My dreamy eyes would lead Me..To fulgent Aetna, glorious in fair day!

They pressed hard.., determined to..make time so that they could cross by fair daylight tomorrow.

fair a1450– Designating full or broad daylight. Now archaic and poetic .
noonlight 1598– The light of the sun at noon; the brightest or clearest light of the day. Also figurative .
fuir-days a1600– (a) Late in the day: = far days , forth days . (b) Broad daylight.
noonshine 1624– = noonlight , n. Occasionally (esp. in early use) as adj.

He byheold abute myd swiþe veyre chere.

Þe cherl..foded it [ sc. a child] wiþ floures & wiþ faire by-hest.

He wolde fare wiþ his folk in a faire wise To biholden here hom and non harm wirke.

Sum farar way ȝe micht ȝour harmes wreik.

With a faire countenance, and a majestie full of mildnesse..hee..sought to appease them.

The Lord Treasurer Weston dyed of his fair death, flying beyond Sea.

I have used both fair and foul words.

Did you hear..whether he hanged himself or cut his throat? for I am sure he has not died a fair death.

Whether by fair ways or foul, it [ sc. the rabble] had come effectually into notice.

But when fair persuasion is exhausted they have no right to resort to force or threats of violence.

Cuthbert..gives an account of his [ sc. St Bede's] fair death in his cell among his books.

The means to peace is reason and fair persuasion, not fear or threats.

blithe Old English–1570 Exhibiting kindly feeling to others; kind, friendly, clement, gentle. Obsolete .
good Old English– Of person: benevolent, kindly, warm-hearted; (also in weakened sense) gracious, courteous, polite (cf. phrases P.5c). Frequently with to .
mild Old English– Of people, their disposition and behaviour. Of God, Christ, or the Virgin Mary (in Christian belief): gracious, merciful. Now chiefly in…
well-willing Old English– Benevolent, kindly, good-natured; favourably disposed; †loyal ( obsolete ). Formerly also: †right-minded, righteous ( obsolete ). Cf. well-willed , adj. …
bein a1200–1553 Pleasant, genial, kindly; ‘nice.’ (Latin amœnus , almus , benignus .) Obsolete .
goodful c1275 Gracious, kind. Obsolete .
blitheful a1300–1400 Kindly, friendly. Cf. blithe , adj. A.1. Obsolete .
fair a1300– Expressing or expressive of gentleness or peaceable intention; kind, mild; (of actions or means) accomplished or employed without violence or…
benign c1320– Of a kind disposition, gracious, kindly.
gain c1330– Of persons: Ready, well-disposed, kindly.
sweet c1330– Having pleasant disposition and manners; amiable, kindly; gracious, benignant. Of personal actions or attributes.
kind a1333– Having or showing a benevolent, friendly, or warm-hearted nature or disposition; ready to assist, or show consideration for, others; sympathetic…
propice c1350–1656 Of God, fortune, etc.: favourably inclined, gracious, merciful; = propitious , adj. 1.
well-willed a1382– Favourably disposed; good-natured, kindly. Also: willing, enthusiastic.
well-disposed a1393– Having a favourable disposition; good-natured, benign; (in later use) esp. inclined to be friendly or sympathetic to or towards a person or thing.
well-hearted a1393– Well-disposed, kind-hearted, generous; (sometimes more generally) good, virtuous.
friendsome a1400– Friendly, kindly, benign.
well-willy a1400–1881 Full of good will; benevolent, kindly, generous; favourably disposed to . Also: ready, willing. Cf. goodwilly , adj. , well-willed , adj.
charitable c1405–1634 Tender-hearted; loving, kindly; well-disposed; benevolent. Obsolete .
good-hearted c1425– Of good heart; esp. (in early use) honest, dutiful, and steadfast; (now) kind and well-meaning; willing to help others.
kindly c1425– Now the usual sense. Having a kind, sympathetic, or benevolent character or disposition; kind-hearted, good-natured. Cf. kind , adj. A.III.10a.
propitious 1440– Of God, the fates, etc.: disposed to be favourable; gracious; merciful, lenient.
affectuous c1441–1888 Favourably or kindly disposed; loving, affectionate, tender. Obsolete .
willy a1449–75 Well-disposed, benevolent. Obsolete .
homely c1450– Chiefly Scottish . Kind, kindly; courteous. Now rare .
benevolous 1470–1670 Well-wishing, kindly, friendly, benevolent.
benigned 1470 A by-form of benign , adj.
fair-conditioned 1473– (a) Pleasant-natured, good-tempered (now rare ); (b) in reasonably good condition.
benevolent 1482– Of the general frame or habit of mind: Desirous of the good of others, of a kindly disposition, charitable, generous.
well-meaned 1488–1690 Favourably disposed; well-meaning. rare .
well-meaning 1498– Having, or actuated by, good intentions; expressive or resulting from a kindly purpose or generous disposition; well-intentioned.
humane c1500– Originally: †civil, courteous, or obliging towards others ( obsolete ). In later use: characterized by sympathy with and consideration for others…
favourable c1503–1822 Gracious (said of a superior); kindly, obliging. Obsolete exc. archaic .
affectionate a1516–1761 Favourably or kindly inclined ( to a proposal or thing). Also as n. : such a person ( rare ). Obsolete .
beneficial 1526–1658 = beneficent , adj. Obsolete .
propiciant 1531–84 Favourably inclined, gracious; = propitious , adj. 1.
benignate 1533 A by-form of benign , adj.
well-intended a1535– Of a person: favourably minded or inclined; having good intentions; well-meaning; = well-intentioned , adj. 1.
well-minded a1535– Originally: having or actuated by a good disposition or good intentions; generously or favourably disposed, benevolent. Later also: having valid or…
beneficious 1535–1610 = beneficent , adj.
kind-hearted 1535– Having a kind nature; warm-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate.
affectioned 1539–1651 Kindly or favourably disposed ( to or towards a person or thing). Obsolete .
well-wishing 1548– That wishes a person or people in general well; benevolent, well-disposed; †loyal ( obsolete ); also figurative . Also: consisting of or…
figgy ?1549– Resembling figs, sweet as figs; in quot. 1549 figurative .
good-meaning 1549– = well-meaning , adj.
affected c1553– Disposed or conditioned to the extent indicated by the modifying adverb (chiefly well or ill ). With reference to the mind.
affectionated 1561–1783 Affected or influenced in the mind; inclined, disposed; favourably inclined, tenderly disposed, attached (chiefly with to ). Cf. affectionate , adj. …
well-natured 1561– Originally: †morally good; virtuous ( obsolete ). Later: having, displaying, or characterized by a pleasant, kindly, or obliging disposition or…
well-affected ?1563– Favourably disposed, inclined to be favourable or friendly ( to or towards a person or thing); spec. well-disposed towards existing authority, loyal.
officious 1565– Doing or ready to do kind offices; eager to serve, help, or please; attentive, obliging, kind. Now rare , except as passing into sense 3.
well-inclined 1569– Having a good inclination or disposition; favourably inclined ( to something).
well-given 1579–1616 Having a favourable disposition; good-natured, benign. Obsolete .
good-natured 1582– Having or displaying a pleasant, kindly, or obliging disposition or manner; genial and unselfish; spec. willing to comply with the wishes or accede…
partial 1587–1872 Favouring a particular person or thing excessively or especially; biased or prejudiced in a person's favour. Hence in weakened sense: favourably…
graceful ?1593–1665 Favourably disposed, friendly. Used exclusively of an eye. Obsolete .
well-intentioned 1598– Of a person: having good intentions; well-meaning.
beneficent 1616– Doing good, performing kind deeds, characterized by beneficence. ( Beneficial was previously used in this sense.) Of persons.
candid 1633–1800 ‘Free from malice; not desirous to find faults’ (Johnson); ‘gentle, courteous’ (Cotgrave); favourably disposed, favourable, kindly. Obsolete .
kindlike 1637–1922 Naturally benevolent; kind, warm-hearted, gentle. Cf. kindly , adj. II
benefic 1641– gen. Beneficent, kindly, benign.
kindly-hearted 1762– = kind-hearted , adj.
well-meant 1765– Of a person: well-meaning; (formerly also) well-disposed, kindly.
benignant a1782– Cherishing or exhibiting kindly feeling towards inferiors or dependants; gracious, benevolent (with some suggestion of condescension or patronage).
kindly-natured 1803– Having a kind nature or disposition.
sweet-hearted 1850– Of sweet disposition.
mild Old English– Of people, their disposition and behaviour. Of language or speech: gentle, moderate, measured. Of appearance or mien: kindly, pleasant, placid.
lithefull c1275 Calm, gentle.
mildly c1275–1450 = mild , adj.
unmalicious 1605– Not characterized by malice.
natural a1522– Of death: resulting from old age or disease, not brought about by accident, violence, poison, etc. Also, in extended use, in (to die) a natural death …
fair 1682 Expressing or expressive of gentleness or peaceable intention; kind, mild; (of actions or means) accomplished or employed without violence or…

On twel [ue] doles delt ist ðe se, xii. weiges ðer-in ben faiger and fre.

Weyes þat beþ imade..foule wiþ grete reynes beþ imade clene and fayire by blowynge of wynde.

The way is lyke to be fayre & dry.

The Artillerie..was shot with such furie amongst the Reisters,..that he made at euery shot a faire breach.

Left faire to interpretation eyther way.

Keep the South-shore in fair view.

They made a fair retreat.

Go out on the other side..which I think is the fairest Outlet.

The sea making a fair breach over her.

Keep back..so that each man may have A fair view of the pit.

The fairest though farthest way about is the nearest way home.

When he reached the middle of the street, he had a perfectly fair view all the way to Virginia Bay station.

William was riding ahead to make sure the road was fair .

open Old English– Of a door, gate, window, etc.: having the movable part put aside so that there is access or passage through a wall, fence, etc.; not closed or…
free c1230– Of a space, way, passage, etc.: clear of obstruction, open. Also of air: †freely circulating, in which one breathes freely ( obsolete ).
fair a1325– Free from obstacles; unobstructed, unimpeded; open, clear. Also figurative . Now archaic .
unstopped 1398– Not stopped up or closed.
clear 1569– Free from obstructions or obstacles; unoccupied by buildings, trees, furniture, etc.; open.
expedite 1581–1694 Of a place, road, way: Clear of obstacles or impediments, unimpeded; free from difficulties.
unpestered 1588– Not pestered, unbothered. Formerly: spec. †unencumbered, free of obstructions ( obsolete ). Chiefly in predicative use.
accessible 1602– Capable of being used as an access; affording entrance or a means of approach. Also in figurative contexts.
accessive 1611– Able to be accessed (in various senses of the verb); accessible.
rid 1866– That has been ridded or cleared. Also rid-up .
eath Old English– Of a passage, etc.: That may be travelled with ease, not rough.

There be manie faire examples..But they be, like faire markes in the feild, out of a mans reach.

The white..are alwayes the fayrest marke in a Hawke, or a Bussardes eye.

Fair on the face [God] wrote the Index of the minde.

Although in all places of the Root they are visible, yet most fair and open about the Fibrous Extremities of some Roots.

The ramparts and ditches are very fair and visible.

All her thoughts.. fair within her eyes.

Lincoln Minster's fair to see fra Barton field.

All this comes vividly back.., distinct and fair .

The money was lying on the floor as fair as your hand.

sene c1175–1513 Able to be seen; plainly visible; evident, manifest, obvious; = isene , adj. Cf. well seen , adj. 1.
well seen c1175– Plainly visible; evident, obvious. Chiefly in predicative use with it as subject and clause as complement. Now chiefly Scottish .
naked ?c1225– Plain, obvious, clear. Also (esp. of an emotion, characteristic, etc.): blatant, unashamed.
well isene c1275–1500 Easily observed; evident, obvious. Cf. well seen , adj. 1.
breme c1340–1605 Brilliant, shining, bright; hence , clearly seen, evident, apparent, obvious. Obsolete .
evident a1382–1790 Of something physical: distinctly visible; conspicuous. Obsolete .
apparent 1393– Meeting the eyes, showing itself; open to sight, visible, plainly seen. archaic .
palpable ?1435– Readily perceptible by a sense other than touch; plainly observable; noticeable.
open 1478–1927 Nautical †(a) Having an unobstructed view of . Also with off , on , upon , or to ( obsolete ). (b) Visible without obstruction; visible to one side of a…
pointable a1555– Capable of being pointed out; that can be pointed to or at ; (hence) visible, apparent. rare .
fair a1568– Open to view, plainly visible; clear, distinct. Now rare (chiefly regional in later use).
full-eyed 1581– (a) Having full or large eyes; wide-eyed; †(b) perfectly visible; seen in the front ( obsolete ).
unmasked 1590– Not masked (in various senses of mask , v.⁴ ).
eyeful ?1611 That may be plainly seen. Obsolete .
plain 1613– Of a sight or view: clear, unobstructed.
prospect a1640 Open to view; clearly visible.
unoverclouded a1657 Not overclouded.
intuitive 1801– Obvious to the senses; directly visible. rare .
unmystified 1822– Not mystified; not made mysterious or obscure.
shroudless 1841– Unshrouded, unobscured.
unforeshortened 1846– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
trenchant 1849– transferred and figurative . Sharply defined or outlined; clear-cut; distinct.
focusable 1889– Capable of being focused (in various senses of the verb).

Manion þer was aslawe so þat þis uair cas Þe king it þonkede..sein tomas.

To se quheyer fayr [1487 St. John's Cambridge MS. farar] war him till To ly about ye toun all still.

Now fraist we be fore how fairest wilbe.

Ther is no better..nor no fayrer cure.

A Stand where you may make the fairest shoote.

They..let slip that so faire an opportunitie.

I presently looked for the jugular veins..opened the fairest , and took away..a dozen ounces of blood.

The crown, to which he had such fair pretensions.

Fair omen of the voyage.

British East Africa has a fair future.

I ought not to have been so disconsolate. These were fair portents.

Only by dint of crossing at the narrowest point..could the customers be offered a fair prospect of the plane getting over in one leap.

fair c1325– Offering the prospect of success or good fortune; promising, boding well; (of an omen, etc.) propitious. Cf. to be in a fair way to (do something) at…
likely 1548 Showing promise of success, achievement, or excellence; promising. Chiefly with reference to people (esp. young people) or animals. Now somewhat rare .
sperable 1565–1615 That may be hoped for; admitting of, giving room for, hope. Of debts: = sperate , adj. 1.
hoped 1581 Viewed or contemplated with hope; about which hopes are entertained. Obsolete .
propitious 1581– Presenting favourable conditions; well-suited, conducive; advantageous, opportune. Frequently with for , to .
promising 1594– Likely to turn out well, providing expectation of good; full of promise; giving hope.
hopeful 1599– Causing or inspiring hope; giving promise of success or future good, ‘promising’: said of a person or thing on which one's hope is set, or…
auspicious a1616– Of persons: Showing favour, propitious, kind.
flattering 1633– Of the weather, the stars, etc.: Promising, (delusively) encouraging hope. Now rare .
promissory 1732– figurative . Conveying a promise or indication of something to come; full of promise, promising.
sperate 1808– In general use: Giving or leaving room for hope; of a promising nature.
likely-looking 1827– Appearing to be probable, suitable, or likely to succeed; promising.
favourable 1828– Of an answer, etc.: That concedes what is desired. Of appearances: Boding well, hopeful, promising.
promiseful 1855– Full of promise or indication of future good; promising.
trine 1477– Astrology . Denoting the ‘aspect’ of two heavenly bodies which are a third part of the zodiac, i.e. 120°, distant from each other. Also, Connected…
towardly 1520– Likely to lead to a desired result; promising success, propitious; helpful, favourable, advantageous; seasonable, befitting. (Cf. toward , adj. A.4b.)
bright 1592– Of a time in a person's life, period in history, etc.: characterized by happiness, goodness, prosperity, etc.
ominous 1593–1662 Of good omen, auspicious; expected to produce a favourable result. Obsolete .
dexter 1646–1718 Of omens: Seen or heard on the right side; hence, auspicious, favourable, propitious. Obsolete .
rosy 1685– figurative . Of an event, circumstance, etc.: that brings happiness, enjoyable, bright; (also) promising good fortune or happiness, hopeful…
dextral 1774 Of omens: Auspicious, favourable. Obsolete .
fair c1820– Offering the prospect of success or good fortune; promising, boding well; (of an omen, etc.) propitious. Cf. to be in a fair way to (do something) at…
toward 1850–1902 Of things: Favourable, propitious: the opposite of untoward . rare .

Of ðæm neahmunte wealleð hluter wæter & fæger & þæt swiðe swete.

He þonne astigeð, swa se stranga ren fealleð on flys her, and swa fæger dropa [Latin sicut stillicidia ] þe on þas eorðan upon dreopað.

Gif him þince, þæt he fæger wæter geseo, oððe oferfare, þæt byþ orsorhnyss. Gif him þince, þæt he drof wæter geseo, ne deah þæt.

A panne wyth fayr water.

Ho..wasshed hir bodi in faire water.

Bray hem small in a morter with faire water.

And then take it fro the ffyre And strayne it And Soo ye shall haue a fayre Syruppe of hit.

Most Bullockes..desire a fayre cleare water.

As red as the fairest Vermilion.

Gun-powder of a faire Azure..colour is very good.

A Dish of Rice boiled in fair Water.

The colours of beautiful bodies must not be dusky or muddy, but clean and fair .

A glass of fair water.

The rinsings..spoil a draught of fair water.

Fresh provisions can be obtained in abundance, and fair water from a hose on the quay.

Every surface glinted with mysterious bottles, some filled with swarthy tar-drippings, others with fair water.

fair Old English– Of water: clean, pure; (of another liquid) clear, not cloudy. Formerly also of colour: †bright, pure, not dull or muddy ( obsolete ).
unfiled c1200– Undefiled; unfouled.
pure c1300– Not mixed or adulterated; clean, clear, refined; spec. (a) not mixed with any other substance or material; free from admixture or adulteration…
undefouled c1374–1483 ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2)
unfouled c1380– Not made foul or impure; undefiled.
fresh a1393– Clean, pure, untainted; refreshing, invigorating, pleasantly cooling. Of a smell or taste: giving a refreshing impression to the senses.
fine c1440– Of a liquid: free from turbidity or impurity, clear; (formerly also) †undiluted ( obsolete ). Also of the air: pure, fresh.
filthless 1532– Without filth; undefiled, clean.
taintless 1590– Free from taint; without stain or blemish; immaculate, clean, pure, innocent.
virgin 1596 In general use: pure, unstained, spotless; notable for purity or cleanness.
untainted 1609– Not affected by any physical taint.
indevirginate ?1624–1822 Undeflowered. Also figurative . Unsullied.
unpolluted 1771 Not polluted; pure, clean, uncontaminated.
germless 1869– Containing no germs or bacteria; totally clean, hygienic, or sanitary.
Diana 1870– attributive or adj. Virgin, unsullied.
sterile 1877– Free from micro-organisms. Now often of surgical instruments, etc. = sterilized , adj.
aseptic 1883– Not liable to putrefy, non-putrescent.
pristine 1910– Of something natural: unspoilt by human interference, untouched; pure. (In quot. 1910 as n. )
living Old English– In extended use, of a thing: that appears to be alive; that acts or moves as if alive; animated (cf. lively , adj. A.1b); spec. (a) (of water)…
clear a1400– Allowing light to pass through, transparent.
skire a1400–00 Of water: Pure, clear.
crystal c1425– Resembling or suggestive of crystal; clear, pure; bright, shining, infused with light; (of water) transparent, unclouded. Also figurative …
lucent 1820– Translucent; lucid, clear.
fresh c1405– Esp. of a colour: bright, pure, vivid, brilliant. Of a person's complexion, etc.: bright, glowing, healthy.
fair 1663 Of water: clean, pure; (of another liquid) clear, not cloudy. Formerly also of colour: †bright, pure, not dull or muddy ( obsolete ).
serene 1751– Hence as a poetic epithet of colour: Pure, clear, bright. Also (cf. A.2b), Quiet, sober.

Moni ancre. þe habbeð ham [ sc. hands] to feire . as þeo þet beoð a idled.

A cherl fro cheping-ward com, & bar bred in a bagge and fair bouf wel sode.

Put þe pork on a faire spitte.

Put hit in cofyns þat bene fayre .

He knelit down on his kne quhiddere the gait was faire or foule.

A fayre white lynnen clothe.

Let him make or buy him a fayre paper book for the nonce, to begin to practise in.

I took a fair Glass Siphon.

They [ sc. bones] were fair and dry.

A Paper-Book, all the Leaves whereof were fair , except one.

The vanes are covered with a piece of fair white paper.

Take this raiment, which is fair and clean, and go wash thee in the brook.

Before him is a fair sheet of paper or parchment; at hand an inkhorn.

clean Old English– Free from dirt or filth; unsoiled or unstained: the usual opposite of dirty or foul . Now the ordinary sense.
fair ?c1225– Free from dirt or stains; clean, fresh; cf. foul , adj. I.4a. Also of paper: unused, blank. Now rare ( archaic in later use).
net c1330–1667 Desirable, good; decent; clean, free from dirt, filth, etc.; bright, clear. Obsolete .
cleanly 1340–1590 Clean: as clothes, or the like. (Possibly the sense may sometimes have been clean-looking .)
unspotted c1384– Not marked with spots; free from any spot or stain.
blotless ?a1400– Without blot or stain; pure, immaculate.
unwemmed a1400– Not physically spotted or stained. Now dialect .
spotless c1400– Free from spots or stains; not marked with, or disfigured by, spots or blemishes.
neat 1494–1804 Clean; free from dirt or impurities. Also with from . Also figurative . Obsolete .
unblotted 1548– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unstained 1555– Not stained or (dis)coloured; spotless, clean, pure.
stainless a1586– Without stain, spot, or blemish. literal .
exempt 1586– Unsullied, unaffected by; clear, free from (a defect, flaw, stain, weakness).
undefiled 1596– Not rendered foul or dirty. Also figurative .
unsullied 1598– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
dirtless a1618– Void of dirt.
immaculate a1631– Spotlessly clean; perfectly neat and tidy.
innocent 1645– figurative . Spotless, stainless.
unsmeared 1648– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unsmutched 1809– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
speckless 1827– Free from specks of dirt, dust, etc.; scrupulously or spotlessly clean. Also in figurative context.
spandy-clean 1838– Very good or fine; smart. Also spandy-clean , quite clean; spandy-bright , spandy new .
unblackened 1864– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
soilless 1868– Free from soil or stain.
smudgeless 1924– Without a smudge, clean.
clinical 1932– Bare and functional, like a hospital.
squeaky clean 1975– (Of hair, etc.) washed and rinsed so clean that it squeaks; completely clean; frequently figurative , above criticism, beyond reproach.
lutter Old English–1175 Pure.
unwemmed Old English– Spotless, pure, immaculate. Now archaic . Of qualities, etc.
upright ?c1225– Erect on the feet or end; in or into a vertical position; perpendicular to the ground or other surface. (Cf. sense A.II.3.) In figurative uses.
pure c1300– Chiefly attributive . Used emphatically or as an intensifier: nothing but (the thing specified); sheer, utter, complete, total, unmitigated.
without lack c1300–1450 without lack : without defect, flaw, or fault, whether physical or moral; also, without fail. Obsolete .
complete c1380– Perfect in nature or quality; without defect.
defaultless a1425 Faultless. Obsolete .
flush ?1550 ? ‘Up to the mark’, perfect, faultless. Obsolete .
virginal ?1553– figurative and in extended use. Fresh, pure, untouched; free from blemishes, imperfections, impurities, etc.
undefective 1599– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 1.)
impeccable 1620– Of things: Faultless, unerring.
indefective a1641– Not defective; free from defect; faultless, flawless.
defectless 1651– Without defects; flawless, perfect.
flawless 1659– Free from flaws; without a crack, defect, or imperfection.
unflawed 1665– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
indefectuous 1685 = indefective , adj.
unblighted 1785– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
immaculate 1791– Free from flaws or mistakes; perfect, faultless; impeccable.
indefectible 1833– Not subject to defect; faultless.
shadeless 1894– Not marked by shadows; unrelieved by shade, monotonously faultless.
flukeless 1895– Without a fluke.
intacta 1941– A shortening of Latin virgo intacta a woman of inviolate chastity, used as adjective to denote: unaffected, not spoiled or sullied, esp. in figurative …
pedicured 1988– Of a foot, toenail, etc.: that has been (recently) pedicured; that has been given a cosmetic pedicure. Also figurative : neatly trimmed, immaculate.
white 1466– Of a light or reflective colour, esp. one which may be contrasted with a darker alternative. Of paper: blank, not written or printed upon; †(of a…
void 1551–1748 Not occupied by visible contents; containing no matter; empty, unfilled. Of paper, etc.: blank, not written on; containing no writing or lettering…
blank a1555– Of paper, etc.: Left white or ‘fair’; not written upon, free from written or printed characters, ‘empty of all marks’ (Johnson); said also of…
empty 1579– Of a page, book, email, etc.: free of printed or written matter; unfilled; blank.
fair 1606 Free from dirt or stains; clean, fresh; cf. foul , adj. I.4a. Also of paper: unused, blank. Now rare ( archaic in later use).
uninked 1637– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
clean 1704– Of paper: not written on, blank. Of printers' proofs: free from corrections or alterations. Of a copy of writing, etc.: free from corrections…

Þe fleisch is maad fairer þan it was tofore.

Take faire rawe parcelly.

Their Countrey corne, which is very white, faire , and well tasted.

The fairest may be kept for Seed as before of Carrots.

[Street cry.] Fair Oranges,—Fine Lemmons.

Take the fairest and firmest pippins.

You describe her faithfully; but remember that many a fair apple hath a diseased heart.

Hogs render fruits of all kinds fair and unblemished, by destroying the curculio.

fresh Old English– Of food or another perishable substance. Newly made or obtained; retaining its original qualities; not deteriorated or changed by the passage of…
sound c1290– Free from damage, decay, or special defect; unimpaired, uninjured; in good condition or repair.
uncorrupt c1384– = incorrupt , adj. 1.
incorrupt 1387– Of organic matter: Free from decomposition or putrefaction; not decayed or rotten; not infected by that which causes decay; sound.
fair a1400–1912 Of fruit, vegetables, etc.: free from disease, decay, or blemishes; unspoiled. Obsolete .
recent ?a1425– Not yet affected by the passage of time; fresh, esp. as opposed to decomposed or dried. Now rare or disused .
inconsumed 1530 Unconsumed, uncorrupted.
uncorrupted c1540– Of organic matter: Not corrupted or decomposed.
good 1558– spec. Of food, medicine, etc.: fit for consumption or use; spec. not stale, contaminated, or rotten. Frequently in to keep good : to keep fresh.
incorrupted c1593–1646 Not decayed or putrefied; = incorrupt , adj. 1.
square 1628–72 Solidly or firmly constituted; free from flaw or defect. Obsolete .
undecayed 1632– That has not begun to crumble or fall in pieces; not physically wasted.
uncorroded 1685– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
untarnished 1732– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unspoiled 1733– Not spoiled or deteriorated.
unfailed 1749– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unwasted 1758– Not impaired by waste.
firm 1776 Healthy, robust; sound, undecayed. (Cf. infirm , adj. ) ? Obsolete .
unspoilt 1796– = unspoiled , adj. 2.
undegenerate 1854– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 1.)
undeteriorated 1856– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unvitiated 1864– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unbraided a1616 Untarnished, undamaged. Obsolete . rare .
uneclipsed 1649– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
undisfigured 1720– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
fair 1854 Of fruit, vegetables, etc.: free from disease, decay, or blemishes; unspoiled. Obsolete .

Take a tame Malarde and set hym in a fayr playn.

The floore must be fayre and smoothe made.

On each of the former Marks or Letters in the said blind Circle successively, draw but a fair line to the designed Limb or Border.

I design to..drive the said Piles..and continue them on by a fair Line until they meet and shut up with the last Pile.

Fair surfaces have fallen into neglect nowadays, our present fancy being for..wrinkled or blotchy surfaces.

It probably will be necessary to do a little planing along the top of the sheer in order to level everything off to a fair line.

The next tool to apply is a long-board... This is the tool the automotive industry uses to achieve fair surfaces.

smeeth Old English– Smooth; free from roughness.
unrough Old English– Not rough, smooth; (formerly) spec. free from hair or bristles.
plain a1398–1704 Of a surface: smooth, even; free from roughness, wrinkles, etc. Obsolete .
balgh c1440 Smooth.
smooth c1440 Having a surface free from projections, irregularities, or inequalities; presenting no roughness or unevenness to the touch or sight.
glat 1481 Smooth.
fair 1486– Of a line, curve, or surface: free from roughness or irregularities; smooth, even.
handsmooth 1530–1603 Level or flat as if smoothed with the hand; smooth to the hand. Chiefly in to beat handsmooth . Also figurative .
terse 1602–1824 Wiped, brushed; smoothed; clean-cut, sharp-cut; polished, burnished; neat, trim, spruce.
smooth-faced 1647– Of things: Having a smooth face or surface.
sleeky c1725– Marked by sleek condition.
smack-smooth 1755– adj. Perfectly smooth, level, or even with the surface. Now dialect .
knotless 1792 Without a knot, free from knots (in various senses of the noun); unknotted. In first quot. quasi-adverbial = like a thread without knots, smoothly…
gleg 1808– transferred . Of things. Smooth (see quots.).
textureless 1846– Devoid of texture; exhibiting no texture.
glabrous 1860– Humorously used for: Smooth.
unsculptured 1891– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)

Thomas Laurence of Cantorbury..wrote a greate boke of thesaied false & feined miracles, and reuelacions of thesaid Elizabeth in a faire hand.

Written in faire hande, and easie for to reede.

His Epitaphs written in them in the greater Arabicke verses, with a very faire Character.

This Letter was written in a very fair hand.

There is Imprinted in Folio upon Fine Paper and a Fair Character, a New Impression of Their Majesties Royal Charter.

He was a most famous master in the art of penmanship, or fair writing.

Let him appoint, as scribe, one..whose hand-writing is fair .

I wanted to read them once again, with the advantage of fair type and ample margin.

Class A could write interesting original stories two pages in length in fair penmanship.

The second [document] was a letter, in very fair handwriting.

fair 1548– Of handwriting: neat, clear, legible. Occasionally also of printed or typed material. Cf. fair copy , n. , foul , adj. I.10b.
clerkly 1808– Of or pertaining to a fair writer; skilled in penmanship.
clean a1889– Of paper: not written on, blank. Of printers' proofs: free from corrections or alterations. Of a copy of writing, etc.: free from corrections…

Eala hwæt þær wæs fæger eaðmodnes gemeted on þære a clænan fæmnan.

Heo wearð þa gefullod swa swa hire fæder wæs, and hadunga underfeng mid fægere drohtnunga.

Aldred bisceop ærest gesette Wulstan bisceop to ciricwearde þære ciricean on Wihgeraceastre, for his clænnysse & fægrum þeawum.

Manie..swo ledden here lif þat te biginninge was fair , and te middel fairere, and te ende alre fairest.

Ðet is æuric mon þe ledeð feir lif and clene.

Ailrik was..a duke of faire fame.

He [ sc. St Andrew] was fayr in his lyf, answeryng in wysedom, & in doctryne.

Off his brothyr the fayr fame, Wes delete all halyly.

A quiet, serene, and fair Conscience.

The poor painful Priest standing fair in the Opinion of the Neighbourhood.

This person..had the fairest and most unexceptionable character.

My fair fame.

We must do in regard of ourselves what we may never do in regard of others,—suspect that an unsound motive may underlie a fair conduct.

The testimony of the father..tended to corroborate the statements of the mother as to the fair character possessed by the girl.

In returning to the free citizen of fair repute Horace again sounds the note of unanimity..that was established at the outset.

Nu cwom elþeodig.., hafað mec bereafod rihta gehwylces, feohgestreona. Nis ðæt fæger sið.

Þær him se æðela geaf, gleawferhð hæle, giestliðnysse fægre on flette.

Hit nere no fair wedding Bitwexe a þral & a king.

Þey [ sc. the fyngres] hauen among hamself a verrey nombre and a wel fair ordre [L. numerum perfectum et ordinem decentissimum ] .

It is faire and hit is ryȝt That þi moder come to þee.

Withynne my court, it were a thyng nat fayr , That ye sholde a-bide or haue repair.

Qwhen til his gestis he mad gud chere, And welcummyt þaim on fayr maner.

That fre ansserit with fair afeir.

Ressauyng thame..With fair calling and homelie cheresing.

His Maiestie..sending downe Sir L. Stucley..to bring Sir Walter Raleigh in faire manner, and as his health would giue leaue, by easie iourneyes to London.

fair Old English–1618 In accordance with propriety; appropriate, fitting; seemly, becoming. Obsolete .
i-mete Old English–1300 Moderate; meet, fit, appropriate.
methely Old English–1200 In accordance with due measure; befitting, proper, suitable; moderate.
right Old English– Fitting, appropriate, proper; according to what is most suitable for a particular occasion or purpose; (also) exactly meeting the requirements of a…
ylike Old English–1275 Fitting, suitable, appropriate. Cf. like , adj. A.II.8.
becomely c1175–1200 Becoming, fitting, acceptable.
proper ?c1225– Suitable for a specified or implicit purpose or requirement; appropriate to the circumstances or conditions; of the requisite standard or type…
feat c1325– Fitting, suitable, proper. Const. for , to .
rightful 1340– Appropriate to the circumstances or for a particular purpose; fitting, proper; (also) according to fact or convention; correct.
convenable c1350–1815 Appropriate or suitable in a particular situation; in keeping with the circumstances or conditions; (of a time or action) opportune, timely. Obsolete .
pursuand a1375–1600 That follows convention or conforms to approved standards; suitable, proper.
digne c1385–1549 Befitting, becoming, appropriate, fit. Const. to , unto , of , for .
thrifty c1386–1449 Of an action or concrete thing: Respectable, decent, becoming, proper, as it should be. Obsolete .
sitting c1390–1572 Becoming, befitting; proper, suitable; appropriate. Cf. fitting , adj. a. In predicative use. Usually with to or for and complement. Frequently in…
gainly a1400– Proper, suitable, becoming. Obsolete exc. Scottish dialect .
meet a1400– In predicative use, of an action: fitting, becoming, proper. Chiefly in it is meet that (also with infinitive), occasionally as (also than) is meet .
worth a1400–1500 Fitting, suitable, proper. Obsolete .
convenient c1400–1741 Appropriate or proper in a particular situation; in keeping with the circumstances or conditions. Obsolete .
meetly a1425–1634 Fitting, proper, suitable, meet.
suing a1425–75 Appropriate; worthy; (also) even, uniform. Obsolete .
sitting ?c1425–84 Becoming, befitting; proper, suitable; appropriate. Cf. fitting , adj. a. In attributive use. Obsolete .
fit c1440– Well adapted or suited to the conditions or circumstances of the case, answering the purpose, proper or appropriate. Const. for (also, rarely, with…
tall c1440–1540 Meet, becoming, seemly, proper, decent. Obsolete .
good 1477– As the complement of a verb. With personal subject and implied or expressed object, as to think (also consider, †see, etc.) good . Now usually with…
dueful ?a1527– = due , adj. (in various senses); proper; fitting, appropriate; rightful.
beseeming a1530– That beseems (in senses 2, 3); becoming, befitting, seemly, comely.
straight a1538 Proper, fitting. Obsolete .
decent 1539– Becoming, suitable, appropriate, or proper to the circumstances or special requirements of the case; seemly, fitting. Obsolete or archaic .
answerable 1542– Such as responds to demands, needs, or wishes; suitable, befitting, proper, becoming. Without preposition.
becoming 1565– Befitting, suitable, having graceful fitness.
condecent 1575–1701 Becoming, appropriate, meet.
becomed 1599 Befitting, becoming.
fitting a1600– That fits. Becoming, appropriate, proper, suitable.
respective 1605–12 Appropriate, proper. Obsolete . rare .
befitting a1612– Fitting, suitable, becoming, due.
comely 1617 Suitable for a particular purpose. Obsolete . rare .
decorous 1664–91 Seemly, suitable, appropriate. Obsolete .
shape-like 1672 Comely, fitting.
beseemly 1737– Seemly, becoming, befitting.
farrantly ?1748– Of a thing: Becoming, fit, proper.
fitly 1840– = fit , adj.
in order 1850– Originally U.S. Appropriate to or befitting the occasion; suitable; called for; correct.

Þe faireste acountes of all seiþ [etc.] .

As In that poynt al thow it be nat fayr Thow folwist hym certayn & art his ayr.

A fayrere eleccioun neuere there was.

Were that feyer , To make an erlles sone myn Eyer?

For how art thou a King But by faire sequence and succession?

The fat Calfe. Whereby, in a faire parabolicall interpretation, is meant..Christ himselfe.

There is a fair discretion of good and bad, every one having what is fit for him..according as he is vertuous or vicious.

Words which have the fairest Right to each Class.

The adduction of so many fair arguments and weighty facts, in support of the conclusions which they establish.

The king..would fall by fair fighting and not by murder.

It is but fair ..to state.

A fair account should be given.

She always says she doesn't want to go! It's not fair !

Therefore other methods, for instance, hypnosis, or autogenic training..were not given a fair hearing.

What the Japanese considered to be fair and honorable peace overtures toward China.

Better public services, a renewed attack on poverty, [and] a fairer distribution of the tax burden..are objectives of the ‘social liberals’.

even Old English– Of laws or their administration, the making of a judgement, etc.: impartial, just, equitable, fair. Also applied to persons in regard to their…
skillwise a1300 Just, equitable, fair.
leal 1352–1727 Lawful; also, just, fair. Obsolete .
fair a1387– Of conduct, actions, methods, arguments, etc.: free from bias, fraud, or injustice; equitable; legitimate, valid, sound.
mensurable a1398–1633 Moderate. Also: just, fair. Cf. measurable , adj. A.1. Obsolete .
equal 1508–1867 Fair, equitable; (of a person) impartial. Obsolete .
square a1616– Of actions: just or equitable; fair, honest, honourable, straightforward. In general use. (Cf. fair and square , adj. )
candid 1643– Free from bias; fair, impartial, just.
equable 1643 Characterized by justice or fairness; = equitable , adj. Obsolete .
equitable 1646– Characterized by equity or fairness. Of actions, arrangements, decisions, etc.: That is in accordance with equity; fair, just, reasonable.
conscionable 1647– Legally valid; equitable, just. Now also in weaker sense: justifiable, reasonable.
equitable 1682– Characterized by equity or fairness. Of persons: Guided by principles of equity, displaying a spirit of equity; unbiased, impartial, candid. Now rare .
dinkum 1905– Honest, above board; true. Also: fair, just. Cf. fair dinkum , adj. C.1b.
fair dink 1906– Honest, legitimate; sincere. Also: fair, just.

Eunosta..who being faire and just withall, was also chast, continent and of an austere life.

The fair Hunter's cheated of his Prey.

The open, fair , wise Man has every Body to make way for him, and goes directly to his Business.

Let him be honest and fair in his dealings.

Ordering all his banditti.., contrary to..the invariable practice of all fair boxers, to bang and bruise..a vanquished man after he is down.

A fair , round dealing man, such as abound in the city of London.

The fairest of all controversial antagonists.

The judge must,..if he be fair and honest, decide many cases against his friends.

Though Dame Agnes was sharp and prejudiced, she was fair .

He's a fair man, but he's also military, so his ship and crew come first.

reasonable c1400– Of a person: sensible, sane; having sound judgement, wise, prudent; = rational , adj. A.I.1b. Also: fair, equitable; not asking for too much…
rational 1598– Of a person, a person's soul, mind, etc. That uses, or is capable of using, the faculty of reasoning; having sound judgement; (in extended use)…
fair 1603– Of a person: characterized by equitable or lawful conduct; honest, just; reasonable.
sober 1638–1773 Guided by sound reason; sane, rational. Of persons. Obsolete .
intelligencing 1658 That acts in an intelligent or rational way. rare .
unperverse 1665– Not perverse (in various senses); not contrary; esp. following a natural or expected course.
open 1672– Of a person or the mind: accessible to appeals, offers, emotions, ideas, etc.; receptive to new ideas or arguments. Also figurative . Cf. open mind , n.
wise-like 1816– Reasonable, rational.
straight-thinking 1839– That thinks logically or clearly; capable of sound judgement; rational, clear-headed. Cf. to think straight at straight , adv. B.I.1f.
sane 1843– Sensible, rational; free from delusive prejudices or fancies.
straight 1852– Of thinking: clear and logical; analytical; not influenced by emotion, rational. Cf. sense B.I.1f, straight-thinking , adj.

I owghe the Emperour no trewage..but on a fayre fylde I shall yelde hym my trwage, that shall be with a sherpe spere.

Romulus discomfyte thame jn fair felde with bataill.

A very good Orator might haue a fayre field to vse eloquence in, if [etc.] .

Ile cut your throat at one time or an other in faire termes.

Begin your Career as soon as you will, and expect to be met with..A fair Field and no Favour .

Supposing both box and dice fair , gamesters have the peep, eclipse, thumbing.

I was now on a fair Footing with them.

That would not matter if the ground were fair .

Let every candidate for public patronage have at least a fair field and no favour .

To secure joint discussions in which both parties shall meet upon fair and equal terms.

The chairmen of these congresses..were scrupulous in giving opposition speakers a fair field .

It's fair for all. The women do just the same.

All people have hope of building together a nobler America in a freer and fairer world.

A people who ringed around two opponents to insure a fair fight placed a high value on fairness in other matters.

The two films..are both about young people who have not been given a fair start in life.

fair a1470– Of conditions, circumstances, etc.: providing an equal chance of success to all; not unduly favourable or adverse to anyone. Cf. a fair field (and …

Was not thys a faire rewarde for the loue, the trauailes and sorrowes susteined for this ingrate and villainous man, by that royal ladie, to saue his life, and to take him to husband?

The memory Of her dishonour will be quickly lost In a faire recompence.

A pair of strait shoos might have been fair punishment at first for calling him Cobler.

Fair Payment no Spunge: or, some Considerations on the Unreasonableness of Refusing to Receive back Money Lent on Publick Securities.

Why men who write, deal,..or vote for the Government, should not be held as fully rewarded with the fair pay of their offices, [etc.] .

They only sought a fair day's wages for a fair day's work.

A hundred and fifty local authorities have..adopted some kind of ‘ Fair Wages’ resolution.

A fair sentence would be a fine of £20, or one month's imprisonment.

Distributors are as much entitled to a fair reward for their services as are those who produce.

If it were possible to calculate precisely how much retaliatory suffering would be fair recompense for humiliating someone.

Co-operatives with ‘worker-positive’ conditions of fair pay, employment rights, health benefits.

The crowne also beeing lefte without anie declared owner, a faire goale for them that runne first at it.

He placeth this vncircumcised blasphemy: I belieue the Pope to be Antichrist ..: a faire marke for the sling of Dauid to ayme at..as some Catholikes haue done.

Heaven then is the express and fair object of Hope.

Their Characters in private Life are fair Marks of Inquiry.

That Erasmus was a subject of Corinth..is rendered a fair subject of presumption.

Notwithstanding this generous confidence in our humanity, we used to consider them [ sc. whales] as fair targets for practice.

The latter quality..rendering him a fair subject for a hoax.

He was..quite a fair mark for his mother's criticism that he was too much addicted to speculations.

Individual Kikuyus..are considered fair targets by gangs of Luos, Kalenjins and Kisiis.

That is a fair ball in the Tennis-Court, which toucheth the line, yet goeth over it.

Jane played skilfully, and conquered you with fair moves.

If the ball falls exactly on the foul line, it is a fair hit, unless it rolls into foul territory.

At least one forward and one back must have been involved if the serve is to be considered a ‘ fair serve’.

A heavy fall, when in full flight, from a perfectly fair tackle.

Well, I'm sorry, but it was a fair move. It's not my fault you didn't see it.

fair 1655– Sport and Games . Allowed by the rules; made or done according to the rules; permissible, legitimate; spec. not incurring a penalty, the loss of a…

Her Interpreter..should speak all languages; at least to that fair degree of currentnesse, as [etc.] .

Mr. Habbington has given us a fair a Draught as the Thing would bear: At least, he has Copy'd this King's Picture as agreeably as could be expected from one standing at so great a Distance from the Original.

This is a fair attempt. But he prevaricates on the very onset.

A desirable thing, which might have been satisfactorily executed by a fair scholar and competent writer.

Very fair drawings of animals.

A person in fair health.

In spite of the..spasticity of the left arm, he could spontaneously lift it above his head,..and give a fair grasp.

Most of them do have a fair idea of what they are doing.

Staff make a fair attempt at real coffee.

well Old English– In predicative use. Of a state of things, work, an undertaking, etc.: satisfactory; of such a nature or in such a condition as to meet with approval…
sufferable a1340– That can be ‘suffered’ or put up with; bearable, tolerable, endurable. Also, tolerably good.
worthy 1340– Without construction. Of a thing, action, etc.: of sufficient worth or value; sufficiently good; appropriate, fitting, suitable.
sufficient 1489 Satisfactory. Obsolete . rare .
paregal a1500–68 Adequate; adequately qualified; worthy. Obsolete .
competent 1535–1780 Sufficient but not going beyond this: fair, moderate, reasonable, enough. Obsolete .
something like ?1556– something like . In some way like; in a way similar to; (more widely) almost, approximately; very nearly. In early use also †something like unto .
right 1567– That is in a satisfactory, sound, or normal state or condition; in good order; all right : see as main entry.
fairish 1611– Moderately good, passable; (of the weather) reasonably pleasant or clement.
all right 1652– Satisfactory, good, fine; well, in good health or order. Now frequently in somewhat weakened sense: adequate, acceptable, ‘OK’. Chiefly in…
fair 1656– Free from serious fault or objection; of acceptable but not excellent quality; moderate, reasonable, satisfactory.
comfortable 1658–1728 Satisfactory; also ( colloquial ) ‘tolerable’, ‘fair’, ‘pretty good’. Obsolete .
decent 1711– Satisfying a fair standard; fair, tolerable, passable, ‘respectable’; good enough in its way.
respectable 1750– Of comparative excellence; tolerable, passable, fair.
unrepulsive 1787– Not repulsive.
decentish a1814– Somewhat decent, pretty decent.
fair-to-middling 1822– fair-to-middling : moderately good; reasonable, acceptable. Also as adv.
fine 1828– In weakened use: satisfactory, acceptable; ‘OK’, all right. Frequently in predicative use or as int.
not half bad 1828– not half bad : not at all bad, rather good.
christen a1838– Scottish ( Shetland ). In forms kirsten , kirsen , etc. Of a suitable quality or standard; decent, proper, respectable; fit to eat. Now rare .
OK 1839– All correct, all right; satisfactory, good; well, in good health or order. In early use, occasionally more intensively: outstanding, excellent. Now…
tidy 1844– As an indefinite epithet of admiration or commendation. Now in lighter use: Fairly satisfactory, ‘pretty good’, ‘fair’ (in quality); decent, of a…
half-decent 1848– Originally: not fully decent; somewhat decent. In later use chiefly colloquial : of an acceptable standard; fairly good.
not (or none) so dusty ?1856– In various figurative senses. Mean, worthless, vile (cf. dust , n.¹ 3d); now only in slang phrase not (or none) so dusty = ‘not so bad’.
sweet 1898– Australian slang . Fine, in order, ready.
oke 1928– = OK , adj. A.1.
okey-doke 1934– = OK , adj. A.1.
okey-dokey 1936– = OK , adj. A.1.
tickety-boo 1939– In order, correct, satisfactory.
cool 1951– colloquial (originally U.S. ). In weakened use: all right, ‘OK’; satisfactory, acceptable; unproblematic, safe.
aight 1993– = all right , adj. (in various senses).

Certain general criteria, from which any given coin might be assigned, with a fair degree of probability, to its proper period of time.

A fair number of old soldiers.

I have seen a fair amount of Central American art.

There was a fair crowd at the match Sunday.

It's a safe bet that a fair proportion of any urban area hit by winds such as these would be reduced to rubble.

goodish 1775– Fairly large, long, or extensive.
fair 1832– Of amount or degree: adequate; reasonably large or great.

There are only 2 papers which rank above fair , viz., 1 excellent and 1 good.

Power to refuse the required certificate of school-attendance, unless the school is ‘ fair ’ for the purpose intended.

The horses marked as ‘ fair ’ may last another year.

The discharged teachers' records are marked fair , good, excellent and superior.

Diets rated as fair contained less than 50 percent above the estimated minimum requirements.

She looked again at the disappointing report. ‘Only “fair” for arithmetic?’

fair 1850– In a grading or rating system: acceptable but not excellent; of a reasonable standard; passable, satisfactory.
magna cum laude 1856– With great distinction: used with reference to a degree, diploma, etc., of a higher standard than the average (though not the highest). Also in…
summa cum laude 1896– Of a degree, certificate, etc.: awarded with the highest level of academic distinction. Also of a person: that graduated summa cum laude; (in…
starred 1912– Marked by a star (in various senses). At the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia: designating a particularly good first-class degree.
upper 1982– With an ordinal number. (a) Designating the senior division of a class or form at school, as upper sixth (form) , etc. (b) upper second , the upper…

Nick was sitting above wid his noggins, rubbin' his hands with fair delight.

The sichts an' the soun's that we witnessed, Amaist made me greet for fair shame.

While it [ sc. others' money] held out it would be a fair pour.

They can ramp about among obscure English essayists and have a fair beano.

I reckon..he's going to be a fair bastard to get rid of.

We were off, rattling along at a fair old clip towards death, danger and destruction.

deep Old English– Of a state, quality, or condition: all-encompassing; overwhelming; difficult to penetrate; unbroken, complete, profound.
shire a1225– Complete, perfect, utter; = sheer , adj. A.8. Also (with a negative), mere, bare.
plain c1395– Unmistakable; sheer, pure, absolute, utter, downright. Chiefly attributive as an intensifier.
clean a1400– Where nothing is left behind; entire, complete, total, perfect, sheer. (Influenced by the adverb; with ‘a clean sweep’ cf. to sweep clean at sweep , v. …
fine ?a1400– Of a person. Modifying a depreciative designation: egregious; absolute, downright. In later use chiefly as an intensifier; cf. right , adj. …
entire c1400– Of a quality, state of feeling, condition, fact, or action: Realized in its full extent, thorough, complete, total. ( entire affection , friendship …
very c1400– Emphasizing nouns which denote extremity of degree or extent.
stark a1425– Sheer, absolute, unqualified; complete, out-and-out, utter. Cf. sense B.2.
utter c1430– Going to the utmost point; extreme, absolute, complete, entire, total.
utterly c1440–1553 Absolute, extreme; final.
mere c1443–1838 That is what it is in the full sense of the term qualified; nothing short of (what is expressed by the following noun); absolute, sheer, perfect…
absolute 1531– Complete or entire in degree; in the fullest sense. Frequently used for emphasis.
outright 1532– Downright, out-and-out, thorough; blatant, manifest.
clear a1535– Free from all limitation, qualification, question, or shortcoming; absolute, complete; entire, pure, sheer. Cf. clean , adj.
bloody c1540– colloquial . As an intensifier: absolute, downright, utter. Formerly sometimes in a negative sense: awful, terrible. More recently also as a mere…
unproachable 1544– Unapproachable.
flat 1553– Unrelieved by conditions or qualifications; absolute, downright, unqualified, plain; peremptory. Now chiefly of a denial, contradiction, etc., and…
downright 1577– That is thoroughly or entirely (what is denoted by the noun); outright, absolute, unmitigated, utter.
sheer 1583– Neither more nor less than (what is expressed by the noun); that and nothing else; unmitigated, unqualified; downright, absolute, pure. Cf. mere …
right-down ?1586– Absolute, complete, thoroughgoing; (also) simple, straightforward. Now rare .
single 1590– Undivided, unbroken, absolute. rare .
peremptory 1601 colloquial . Utter, thorough. Obsolete . rare .
perfect a1616– Completely corresponding to a definition, pattern, or description. Chiefly colloquial . Unmitigated, utter; sheer; absolute; veritable. Chiefly in…
down a1625 Downright, absolute, complete. Cf. even down , adj. B.2, right-down , adj. Obsolete . rare .
implicit 1625–51 Hence: Absolute, unqualified, unmitigated, as in implicit ignorance . Obsolete .
every way 1628–62 Entire in every respect. Obsolete .
blank 1637– Of emotions: Prostrating the whole faculties; unrelieved, helpless, stark, sheer.
out-and-out a1642–1813 transitive . To disable or knock out. Also intransitive : to be extinguished, to go out.
errant 1644–1710 Without opprobrious sense: Thorough, downright absolute, unquestionable. Obsolete .
inaccessional 1651 Unapproachably high; very high.
thorough-paced 1651– Thoroughgoing, complete, thorough, out-and-out.
even down 1654– Downright, sheer, out-and-out; absolute.
dead 1660– Absolute, complete, entire, thorough, downright. Cf. dead earnest , n. , dead loss , n. , the dead spit of at spit , n.² 3a, and also sense C.2.
double-dyed 1667– Dyed twice; figurative deeply imbued or stained (with guilt, etc.).
through stitch 1681– Chiefly in form thorough-stitch . Thoroughgoing, out-and-out. Later also: thorough, exhaustive. Now archaic and rare .
through-stitched 1682– In later use chiefly in form thorough-stitched . = through stitch , adj. Now archaic and rare .
total 1702– Complete in extent or degree; absolute, utter. total recall : see total recall at recall , n. I.3a.
thoroughgoing 1719– Chiefly of a person or an attribute of a person: going the full length; doing things thoroughly; uncompromising; (hence attributive ) exemplifying a…
thorough-sped 1730–1898 Thoroughly accomplished or developed; perfect, thoroughgoing.
regular 1740– Chiefly colloquial . As an intensifier: complete, absolute, utter, veritable. Cf. proper , adj. A.III.7d.
plumb 1748– Downright, absolute; thorough; utter. Now chiefly North American colloquial .
hollow 1751– Complete, thorough, out-and-out. colloquial .
unextenuated 1765– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 2.)
unmitigated 1783– Unqualified, absolute; complete, utter, out-and-out.
stick, stock, stone dead 1796– stick, stock, stone dead : completely or unquestionably dead. Cf. stone-dead , adj. Now somewhat rare .
positive 1802– That is fully or completely what is expressed by the noun, without reservation, equivocation, or qualification; that is intrinsically so…
rank 1809– Used emphatically or as an intensifier: of the worst kind; monstrous, gross. Later also in weakened use: complete and utter, absolute.
heart-whole 1823 Used emphatically: nothing but (the thing specified); utter, complete, unmitigated. Obsolete . rare .
skire 1825 (See quot. 1825 and cf. skire , adv. )
solid 1830– Thorough, downright, vigorous, etc. Used with intensive force and frequently strengthened by good , right , etc.
fair 1835– colloquial (frequently Australian and New Zealand ). Unquestionable, absolute; complete, utter. Frequently as an intensifier. Cf. right , adj. …
demmed 1838– As an intensifier: absolute, downright, utter. Formerly sometimes in a negative sense: awful, terrible. Also as a mere filler, with little or no…
teetotal 1840– dialect . Absolute, complete, perfect, entire. (More emphatic than total .) Cf. teetotally , adv.¹
bodacious 1845– Complete, thorough, arrant. Also as adv.
raw 1856– In a natural state; not yet processed or worked. figurative . Of a quality or faculty: pure, unmitigated; sheer.
literal 1857– colloquial . Used in figurative or hyperbolic expressions to add emphasis or as an intensifier: veritable, real; complete, absolute, utter. Cf. lit …
resounding 1873– figurative . Esp. of victory or defeat: emphatic, total; unequivocal, unmistakable.
roaring 1884– colloquial . In emphatic use: that is obviously or unequivocally the thing mentioned; full-blooded, wholehearted; unqualified, out-and-out…
all out 1893– Usually in form all-out . Carried out with or involving the utmost effort; vigorous. Hence: total, complete; full-blown.
fucking 1893– coarse slang . Used as an intensifier. fucking hell : see hell , int. Cf. also motherfucking , adj. A.1.
pink 1896– slang . Chiefly as an intensifier: extreme, utter, absolute.
twenty-four carat 1900– (a) Thoroughgoing, unalloyed, out-and-out; (b) genuine, flawless, trustworthy.
grand slam 1915– Complete, all-out; forceful, powerful, sweeping. Also hyphenated.
freaking 1928– slang (originally U.S. ). Frequently in forms freakin' , freakin . Used as a euphemistic alternative to fucking : contemptible, annoying, etc…
stone 1928– Intensively with adjectives in non-similative use (after stone-broke , adj. ): completely, utterly, ‘plumb’, as stone crazy , stone drunk , stone mad …
certifiable 1932– As an intensifier (frequently in negative contexts): utter, absolute; evident.
dead bang 1933– Absolute, total, certain.
diabolical 1933– colloquial (chiefly British ). As an intensifier: outright, utter. Frequently in diabolical liberty . Cf. devilish , adj. A.4a.
dead-set 1934– colloquial (chiefly Australian and New Zealand ). As an intensifier: genuine, certain; absolute, complete, utter.
fricking 1937– Contemptible, damnable. Frequently in weakened use as an intensifier.
righteous 1940– U.S. slang . As an intensifier: complete, utter; out-and-out.
fecking 1952– Contemptible, despicable, damnable. Also in weakened use as an intensifier (cf. fucking , adj. A.2).
raving 1954– Chiefly depreciative . As an intensifier: absolute, utter, out-and-out. Cf. raging , adj. A.4.
dead-ass 1959– Used as an intensifier, typically expressing contempt, hostility, etc., on the part of the speaker. Also used to emphasize the truthfulness…
fracking 1991– Used as a euphemistic alternative to fucking as an intensifier (cf. fucking , adj. A.2a), typically expressing annoyance, impatience, etc., on the…

Þa wurdon þa tweȝe cnihtæs al swa fæȝeres hiwæs swa heoræ fæderæs wæron & þa modra wæron alswa swearte swa heo ær wæron.

Eouwer cun is feȝerest of alle quike monnen.

On heu hire her is fayr ynoh, hire browe broune, hire eȝe blake.

Domyciane..had ij doughtirs, one faire , a nother blak.

[Women are] Fearare then the flowar delyce; Ruddye as the rose.

Your son in law is farre more faire then blacke.

Negroes have their beauties as well as fair folk.

The Doctor got together..Men of all Complexions, Black, Brown, Ruddy, Fair , Dark, Tawny and Pale.

In all regions, the children are born fair , or at least red.

Persons who have the fairest skin.

His [face] ..Sear'd by the close ecliptic, was not fair .

He lifted his fair boyish head to look at her.

Nature provides the protection of a horny layer of dead cells... On very fair people, it is thinner.

Engineer in reputed concern in Madras seeks graduate, fair , good looking bride from decent family.

Oculocutaneous albinism..leads to very fair hair and skin, and highly light-sensitive blue eyes.

white Old English– Of or with reference to the skin or complexion: light in colour, pale, fair.
fair c1175– Of hair or complexion: light as opposed to dark in colour. Of a person: having such colouring. See also fair-haired , adj. II.2, fair-skinned , adj.
whitely a1387– Whitish; pale; having a light or fair complexion.
blonde 1481– Properly (of the hair): Of a light golden brown, light auburn; but commonly used in sense of light-coloured, ‘fair’, as opposed to ‘dark’, or…
whitelewe 1495 Whitish.
fair-faced 1553– Of a person. (a) Having a beautiful or attractive face; beautiful, good-looking. (b) Having a fair or light-coloured complexion.
buttermilk 1606– Of a pale yellow colour like that of buttermilk; pale, pallid.
lilied 1614– Resembling a lily in fairness of complexion.
white-skin 1634–1823 Of clothing or material: (perhaps) having, resembling, or characterized by, a white skin. Obsolete .
light-complexioned 1770– Having pale or relatively pale skin.
leucous 1842– Having a white skin; light-complexioned, blonde. Said esp. of albinos. Also elliptical .
blondine 1867– Diminutive of blonde , adj.
blonde-complexioned 1881– blonde-complexioned , blonde-locked , adjs.
leucodermic 1926– (a) Pertaining to, or exhibiting leucoderma ( Cent. Dict. ); (b) (naturally) white-skinned.
blondish 1961– Somewhat blonde; rather light-coloured.

Þe riȝte sunne þat is so briȝt, Hey and feir and wel iliȝt Bicomeþ suartore þen þe pich.

Þe sun..es þe fairest on to loke, At middai-time.

That love is right of sich nature [as the moon] Now is faire and now obscure.

I [ sc. Lucifer] am so fare and bright, Of me commys all this light.

Your faire light woulde be dimme in the brightnesse of her wisedome.

The candle is a faire light till thou behouldest the sun.

Both [love and vertue] in darkest nights shine faire , Like to stars.

bright Old English– Of light, a beam or ray of light, etc.: intense, brilliant.
light Old English– Bright; shining, luminous. Of a fire: burning brightly. Now rare .
lightly Old English– Bright, shining, luminous; (of a colour) pale in hue.
sheen Old English– Bright, shining, resplendent.
shimmering Old English– That shimmers.
shining Old English– That shines; luminous, lustrous, gleaming, beaming; also, of bright or brilliant aspect or exterior; resplendent in dress or equipment.
shire Old English–1540 Bright, shining. Obsolete .
steep Old English–1577 Of jewels, eyes, stars: Brilliant. In later use only of eyes, in the poetical phrase steep and gray . Obsolete .
strong Old English– Of conditions or qualities: present to a high degree. Also: relating to such conditions or qualities. Of illumination, light, shadow, colour: vivid…
torht Old English–1300 Bright, clear.
clear 1297–1667 originally . Expressing the vividness or intensity of light: Brightly shining, bright, brilliant.
fair ?a1300–1639 Bright, light, shining. Also figurative . Obsolete .
bright-shining a1387– With participles, forming adjectives with the sense ‘that is brightly ——’, as in bright-burning , bright-lit , bright-shining , etc. Now chiefly literary …
merry a1393–1816 Of sunlight, moonlight, etc.: bright. Obsolete .
skire a1400–1585 Of colours, flames, etc.: Clear; bright.
shim c1400 Bright.
staring c1400– Originally: †shining, glittering ( obsolete ). In later use: (of colours) bright, vivid, garish.
luculent c1420– Full of light; bright, clear, shining. Now rare .
splendent 1474– Shining brightly by virtue of inherent light.
illuminous c1485–1745 Bright, illuminatory.
lucident a1500 Bright, lucent.
lucent c1500– Shining, bright, luminous.
blooming a1522– figurative . Bright, shining.
sheer 1565–1871 Of light: Bright, shining. Of water, crystal, etc.: Clear and pure; translucent. Obsolete .
prelucent 1568–1845 Shining, resplendent.
faculent 1575–1721 Giving forth light like a torch; bright, clear.
splendant 1578–1635 = splendent , adj. 1a, 1b.
lucid 1591– Bright, shining, luminous, resplendent. Now poetic and technical . Entomology and Botany = Smooth and shining. Astronomy . Of a star: Visible to the…
neat 1591–1797 Clear, bright. Obsolete .
shine 1596–1603 Shining, bright.
translucent 1596– Of light: that shines through or across something; emitting penetrating rays. In recent use sometimes influenced by sense 1b: soft, hazy, diffused.
well-lighted 1606– Of a light source, combustible material, etc.: fully ignited, brightly burning; = well-lit , adj. 1. Now rare .
nitid 1615– Bright, shining; polished, glossy. Also figurative .
lucible 1623– Bright, lucent.
dilucid 1653 literal . Clear to the sight; pure, bright. rare .
translucid 1657 Of light: that shines through or across something; emitting penetrating rays. Cf. translucent , adj. 2a. Obsolete . rare .
hard 1660– Of light: bright, glaring; that casts strong, well-defined shadows. Also (chiefly Cinematography and Video Recording ): designating a light source…

Þæs lichoman fæger and his strengo mæg bion afyrred mid ðreora [daga fefre] .

Heo neuer ne beoð sead þi ueir to iseonne.

Al þet þe eȝe of herte yzyþ of uayr is uoulhede and uelþe to þe zyȝþe of him.

Ther was no thyng..That man kan thynke. Wher yt of foule, wher yt of fayr .

The greene meades, whose natiue outward faire Breathes sweet perfumes.

My decayed faire , A sunnie looke of his, would soone repaire.

His weeping Spouse Elisa..all her beauteous faires with grief infecting.

fair Old English–1633 Beauty, attractiveness; good looks. Also: a beautiful element or attribute. Obsolete .
fairness Old English– Beauty; attractiveness. Now somewhat archaic and literary . As an attribute of a thing or place.
wlite Old English–1300 Beauty; splendour.
fairlec c1225–1390 Beauty.
fairhead c1300–1600 Beauty, attractiveness.
fairship c1300–1450 Beauty; splendour.
form a1382–1632 Beauty, comeliness. Obsolete .
clearness a1400–1631 Brightness, luminousness; splendour, brilliancy; fairness, beauty; fineness of weather. Obsolete .
beauty c1405– That quality of a physical object or animal which is highly pleasing to the sight; perceived physical perfection; exceptional harmony of form or…
delicacy a1450–1634 The quality of being pleasing or delightful, esp. to the eye, mind, soul, etc.; loveliness, beauty, elegance. Obsolete .
beauteousness a1460– The quality of being beauteous. Cf. beauty , n.
pulchritude a1460– Beauty. Now somewhat archaic and literary .
speciosity a1470–1731 The quality of being beautiful; beauty, fair or lovely appearance. Also, a beautiful thing. Obsolete .
loveliness a1500– The quality of being lovely; esp. exquisite beauty; (formerly also) †lovableness ( obsolete ).
beautifulness c1500– The quality of being beautiful.
formosity c1500– Beauty; also, a beauty.
fairhood ?1503– Beauty, attractiveness. Cf. fairhead , n.
bewtynes ?c1510 = beauty , n.
decore a1513–1616 Grace, honour, glory, beauty, adornment.
venusty 1559 Elegance of form; beauty.
decorum 1604–1729 Qualities which result from sense 1. Beauty arising from fitness, or from absence of the incongruous; comeliness; grace; gracefulness.
bellitude 1623 Beauty, fairness.
lovelihead a1637–1881 Loveliness.
decor 1656– Comeliness, beauty, ornament.
luculency 1656–96 Brightness, beauty.
Venus 1657–1711 Beauty; charm. Obsolete . rare .
coquetry 1794– With reference to art, music, nature, etc.: capricious, pleasing beauty; playfulness, lightness.
beautyhood 1832– The state of being beautiful; (also) the time of life during which one is beautiful; beauty.
glamour 1840– A magical or fictitious beauty attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm.
beauty a1425– A beautiful feature or trait; (also) an embellishment or decoration. Usually in plural , and frequently with of or possessive. Also in beauties of n …
beautiful 1561– Chiefly with the . That which is beautiful; beautiful things or qualities collectively. Also: the abstract notion of what constitutes beauty.
pulchritude 1625– As a count noun. A beauty; a beautiful quality or feature. Chiefly U.S. in later use.
fair 1633 Beauty, attractiveness; good looks. Also: a beautiful element or attribute. Obsolete .

Hwæt we witon þonne se mon bið blind, þeah he mycel age & feala fægeres , þæt him bið mycel daru, gif he hit geseon ne mæg.

Ofte mon on faire fokel chesed.

To turne þe fayre outwarde.

On a Tombe is al the faire aboue [An] d vnder is the cors.

Fair and lufe befall The nychtingale.

Tis much pride For faire without the faire, within to hide.

Can we not Partition make..Twixt faire , and foule?

Their blacke tongues can neuer spot the faire of vertue.

Nothing short of the Fair and Honourable, will satisfy the Delicacy of their Minds.

After..frequent interchange of foul and fair .

The science of religion..has for its object..the highest life of man's soul; his quest for the true, the good and the fair .

When a man kills my boys,..I don't wait to find out the fair of it.

fair c1405 That which is fair (in various senses), esp. that which is just or honourable; the fair side or part of something. Frequently with the .
mildness Old English– As an attribute of people, their actions, etc.: the quality of being mild; graciousness, gentleness, placidity; even-tempered calmness.
sweetness Old English– Of disposition, manner, or conduct: Graciousness, gentleness, kindliness, mildness.
litheness c1175–1642 Gentleness, meekness, mildness. Obsolete .
mildship a1200–1400 Mildness.
softness a1200– Mildness or gentleness of character or disposition; tenderness.
mildhead c1300–1489 Mildness, mercifulness; meekness.
softhead c1350–1500 Softness; gentleness; delicacy.
mansuetude c1390– Gentleness, meekness, docility.
tendresse 1390– = tenderness , n.
tenderness a1400– The quality of being tender in regard or treatment of others; gentleness, kindness, compassion, love; considerateness, mercy, leniency.
gentleness ?c1400– The quality of being gentle in character or behaviour; (in early use) †good breeding, refinement, courtesy, politeness ( obsolete ); (now usually)…
mansuetie a1500–92 Gentleness, meekness; = mansuetude , n.
suavitude 1512–75 Sweetness, gentleness.
treatableness 1526– The quality of being treatable; †in quots., tractability, docility; clearness of utterance; mildness of disposition.
placability 1531– The quality or character of being placable; readiness to be appeased or to forgive; mildness of disposition.
lenity 1548– Mildness, gentleness, mercifulness (in disposition or behaviour). Also, an instance of this.
pleasableness 1556 Placability.
mollity 1562–1655 Behaviour thought to indicate weakness or unmanliness in a man; (perhaps) masturbation or the taking of a passive role in anal sex. Also more…
fair 1599 That which is fair (in various senses), esp. that which is just or honourable; the fair side or part of something. Frequently with the .
lenitude 1627– = lenity , n. (in the first quot. perhaps misused for lentitude ).
placableness 1647– The quality of being placable; placability.
unaggressiveness 1870– ( un- , prefix¹ affix 6.)

A lorde wolde haue a gentille-woman, bi faire or be force.

A Damoyselle, whiche a greete lord wold haue for fayre or fowle for to accomplysshe his fowle playsyr.

He wolde be lorde and kynge of the countree eyther by fayre or by foule.

Either for faire or foule, ye muste credite them til a paye daie, eyther willingly or agaynst your will.

By fair or foul we must an entrance gain.

By fair or by foul , I'll have my thumb On that potentate's caput mortuum!

Somehow or other, by fair or by foul , to provide him his fee as a present.

fair ?c1450– Gentle, non-violent treatment or methods; honourable behaviour or action; fair means. Chiefly in opposition to other nouns, as in †by fair or by force …
bloodlessness 1646– The fact or condition of being bloodless.
non-violence 1831– Avoidance of the use of violence, esp. as a principle.
non-injury 1838– Avoidance of causing injury or harm, esp. as a principle or doctrine. Cf. non-violence , n.

Go to þe cherche ȝerde, and þou shalt not knowyn be þe bodyis, þe riche from the pore, the faire from the foule.

Perhaps the fayre are strong, and the fowle cowardes.

The fowle laugh at the faire to see how they are troubled.

I want the presenting Eloquence that so perswades and charms the Fair .

What will not Beaux attempt to please the Fair ?

Men of but loose and irregular education, succeed better with the fair , than scholars that are learned in the classics.

Discharging these duties, he lived honored and courted by the great, and loved by the fair .

You fellows will be basking in the smiles of the fair .

He fell in love after that, and then began to learn. To be attached to one of the fair is very like being appointed to a ship.

Many were the concubines of the caldé of the city, and these are the fairest of the fair .

wifehood Old English The female sex; womankind. Also: the state, condition, or fact of being a woman. Obsolete .
wifkin Old English– Women considered collectively; womankind.
woman Old English– Frequently with preceding possessive adjective. A female slave or servant; a maid; esp. a lady's maid or personal attendant (now chiefly historical …
womankin c1175 Women considered collectively; womankind.
womankind c1175– Women considered collectively; the female sex.
womenkin a1387 The maternal side of one's family.
womenkind a1387– Women considered collectively; the female sex; = womankind , n. 1a.
womanhood c1405– Women considered collectively; womankind.
feminity c1425– Women considered collectively; womankind; cf. femininity , n. 2.
femininity c1450– Women considered collectively; womankind; (occasionally as a count noun) a woman. Cf. feminity , n. 2. rare before 19th cent.
feminine c1451– Chiefly with the : women collectively; womankind. Now rare .
the weaker vessel 1526– the weaker vessel : a woman, or women collectively; (originally) spec. a wife or female partner. Cf. vessel , n.¹ 3. In more recent use often ironic or humorous, but potentially offensive .
the fair (also gentle, soft, weak, etc.) sex 1536– the fair (also gentle, soft, weak, etc.) sex : the female sex, women. Similarly †the devout sex , †the woman sex , the second sex . In more recent use often ironical or humorous, but also sometimes offensive (when the phrase may be viewed as implying that women are inferior to men, as with the weak sex ).
the second sex 1536– the fair (also gentle, soft, weak, etc.) sex : the female sex, women. Similarly †the devout sex , †the woman sex , the second sex . In more recent use often ironical or humorous, but also sometimes offensive (when the phrase may be viewed as implying that women are inferior to men, as with the weak sex ).
the woman sex 1536– the fair (also gentle, soft, weak, etc.) sex : the female sex, women. Similarly †the devout sex , †the woman sex , the second sex . In more recent use often ironical or humorous, but also sometimes offensive (when the phrase may be viewed as implying that women are inferior to men, as with the weak sex ).
feminie 1541– Women considered collectively; womankind.
mesdames 1552– Originally and chiefly in French contexts: a polite or formal title used when referring to two or more women simultaneously, with omission of their…
the fairer (also gentler, softer, weaker, etc.) sex 1578– With comparative adjectives: the fairer (also gentler, softer, weaker, etc.) sex . In more recent use often ironical or humorous, but also sometimes offensive (when the phrase may be viewed as implying that women are inferior to men, as with the weaker sex ).
sex 1589– With the . The female sex. Now archaic or literary .
ladyhood a1666– Ladies collectively.
fair 1687 With the and plural agreement. Attractive people, esp. women, as a class; members of the ‘fair sex’ collectively. Now somewhat archaic .
wimmin 1710– Chiefly in representations of regional speech: women.
womenfolk 1729– The women of a particular family, household, or other group. Also: women in general. As a mass noun.
mesdemoiselles 1739– With plural agreement. Originally and chiefly in French contexts: a polite title used when referring to two or more unmarried young women…
the female of the species 1795– colloquial . the female of the species : a woman or girl; the female or females (as distinguished from the male or males) in a particular group; (with…
femalities c1801 In plural . Examples of female character; females. Obsolete . rare .
ladykind 1829– The female sex; women in general; (occasionally) a woman; (also) the female part of a group or party.
womanity 1836– Women considered collectively; womankind.
womandom 1838– The world of women; women considered collectively; womankind.
ladydom 1843– The world of ladies; ladies collectively.
petticoatery 1849–84 Obsolete ( depreciative ). Petticoat-wearers, or women, considered collectively.
spinster sex 1856–91 (With the ) womankind; the female sex, as traditionally associated with the occupation of spinning.
tea-body 1865–
muslin 1884– slang . Women collectively. Esp. in a bit (also bundle) of muslin : a woman. Cf. skirt , n. I.1b. Now rare .
quim 1909– coarse slang . Originally North American . A woman or women, esp. regarded as a means of sexual gratification; cf. pussy , n. A.3. Also: an unpleasant or nasty…
galdem 1919– With plural agreement, usually in form gal dem . Women collectively; a group of women.
womyn 1975– In feminist use: women. Also occasionally as singular : a woman.
womxn 1991– Women. Also occasionally as singular : a woman.

The goodly freshe faire , That was fairer..Than is hir self Dame beaute.

The fayer þ e proude pucell.

That fair upward hir eye Wold cast.

The faire was brought to bed so gorgeous drest.

Ô happy faire ! Your eyes are loadstarres.

The best, though call em.. Faires , fines, and honies, are but flesh and bloud.

Say, lingring fair ! why comes the birth Of your braue soul so slowly forth?

None but the Brave deserves the Fair .

There perform what I dare not name, The willing Fair , she soon consents.

No fair forgets the ruin he has done.

Pursuing his fair in a solitary street.

Some prouder fair hath humbled Thy proud passion.

My Fair was fled Beyond the dawning moon.

Warnings against the dangerous lure of beauty can be found throughout the history of Western poetry from well before the proud fair of the courtly love tradition.

bride Old English–1400 A young woman; a maiden. See burd , n. Obsolete .
quean Old English– Originally: a woman, a female. Later: a bold, impudent, or disreputable woman; spec. a prostitute. Also in extended use.
wife Old English– A woman. Cf. wifie , n. 2. Now chiefly Scottish .
woman Old English– An adult female human being. The counterpart of man (see man , n.¹ II.4.).
burd c1225–1897 A noblewoman, a lady; the female counterpart of berne ( berne , n. ). In later use chiefly: a young lady, a maiden. Frequently as a form of address…
lady c1225– Originally: a woman of superior rank or standing in society; a woman whose rank or office is indicated by the title ‘Lady’. In later use more…
carline c1375– A woman, esp. an old one; often implying contempt or disparagement, like carl , n.¹ 2.
stot c1386–1500 As a term of contempt for a woman. Obsolete .
mare c1387– A woman. Also (quot. 1387 –95): a man characterized as unmanly or as exhibiting characteristics or behaviour rearded as more approproprite for a…
pigsney c1390– A specially cherished or beloved girl or woman, a sweetheart. Frequently as a term of endearment. In later use also as a term of contempt. Now archaic …
fellow a1393– A man, a male person. With modifying word or phrase, as in fine fellow , young fellow , fellow of great spirit , etc.
piece c1400– A woman or girl; in later use usually derogatory and offensive , with connotation of a woman regarded as a sexual object. Hence in extended use…
female a1425– A person of the sex that can bear offspring; a woman or a girl. Simply: a woman or girl. Also occasionally: a wife or mistress. Sometimes (esp. in later use) depreciative , as a generic descriptor implying low class or a lack of traditional feminine qualities.
goddess a1450– A woman who is idealized, adored, or worshipped, esp. by a particular admirer.
fair c1450– A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; esp. a beautiful or beloved woman; (with possessive pronoun) one's sweetheart. Also in extended use and as a…
womankind c1450– As a count noun: a woman or girl. Now rare .
fellowess a1500– A female fellow (in various senses).
feminine a1513– A female person; a woman. Now rare .
teg a1529 Applied contemptuously to a woman. Obsolete .
sister ?1532–1821 A female holding a similar position to another person. Esp. as a term used by one monarch of another: a fellow queen. Obsolete .
minikin c1540– A young girl or woman (usually as a term of endearment). Also: †a minion, a favourite ( obsolete ). Now rare .
wye c1540–68 transferred . A woman; a lady. rare .
placket 1547– An apron or underskirt; (by metonymy) a woman. Now historical .
pig's eye 1553– = pigsney , n. 1a. Now rare ( English regional ).
hen ?1555– A woman; a wife. Now colloquial .
ware 1558– Applied jocularly to women. (Cf. ‘piece of goods’.)
pussy ?a1560– Chiefly colloquial . A girl or woman exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat, esp. sweetness or amiability. Frequently used as a pet name…
jade 1560– A term of reprobation applied to a woman. Also used playfully, like hussy or minx .
madge c1564–1636 slang . A woman; spec. one who is considered sexually experienced or viewed as a prospective sexual partner; (perhaps) a prostitute. Obsolete .
feme 1566– A woman. Cf. femme , n. A.1. rare and poetic after 17th cent.
gentlewoman 1567–1830 More generally: (a respectful term of reference for) a woman. Also figurative and in figurative contexts. Obsolete .
Marian 1567 Generically: a woman. rare .
mort 1567– A girl, a woman. Often with distinguishing word (esp. in earlier use), as gentry (also †kinchin, †strolling, †walking) mort . autem mort : see autem , n.
pinnace a1568–1824 A woman; esp. (in early use) a mistress, a prostitute. Obsolete .
jug 1569– Applied as a common noun to a homely woman, maid-servant, sweetheart, or mistress; or as a term of disparagement. Now rare .
rowen 1575–1603 An old or mature partridge; = rowen partridge , n. Also in extended use: a woman past her prime ( rare ). Obsolete .
tarleather 1575 A term of opprobrium applied to a woman.
mumps 1576–1695 Chiefly derogatory . Obsolete . An old woman. Also used as a form of address or term of mock endearment for a woman.
skirt 1578– slang after 16th cent. (originally Australian ). offensive . A woman, esp. an attractive one, or one viewed as a potential sexual partner. Also (with p …
pig a1586– A woman. In early use apparently as a term of endearment (cf. pigsney , n. 1). In later use derogatory (chiefly U.S. ): a female prostitute; a…
rib ?1590– With allusion to the biblical account of the creation of Eve from Adam's rib (Genesis 2:21): a person's wife; (occasionally more generally) a woman…
puppy 1592–1693 figurative (usually derogatory ). A woman, esp. with connotations of sexual promiscuousness. Obsolete .
smock 1592–1692 Used allusively to denote a woman or womankind. Obsolete .
maness 1594– Woman as the feminine of man.
sloy 1596 An opprobrious epithet for a woman.
Madonna 1602–1709 An Italian woman. Also (in extended use): a loose or flirtatious woman, a prostitute. Obsolete .
moll 1604– A girl, a woman; esp. a prostitute. Now rare .
periwinkle 1604–52 figurative . As a term of affection: a girl or woman. Obsolete .
bit 1607– colloquial (now usually considered offensive ). A girl or (esp. young) woman, or (less commonly) a boy or (young) man, viewed merely in terms of…
Partlet 1607 Originally (more fully Dame Partlet ) a name traditionally applied to: a hen. More generally: a hen; (in extended use) a woman. Cf. chanticleer , n.
rib of man 1609–27 A woman; (also) women collectively, womankind.
womanship ?1609–59 With possessive adjective: a mock title of respect for a woman. Obsolete .
modicum 1611–32 humorous . A person of small stature. Occasionally derogatory : a young woman (cf. piece , n. II.9b, bit , n.² A.7). Obsolete .
Gypsy 1612–1790 In extended use. A woman with dark skin, eyes, or hair. Obsolete .
petticoat a1616– figurative . Cf. compounds C.2. By metonymy: the wearer of a petticoat; a woman or girl. Frequently derogatory . Now usually attributive , esp. in petti …
runnion a1616– Used as a general term of abuse, esp. for a woman.
mother's daughter a1625– A woman; chiefly in every mother's daughter ; cf. mother's child , n. , mother's son , n. 1.
bird a1627– colloquial (now chiefly British ). A young woman; a person's girlfriend. Cf. chick , n.¹ A.I.3, birdie , n. 1a, birdeen , n. 2.
lucky 1629– An elderly woman; spec. a grandmother. Also: a woman of any age, esp. a wife or mistress. Frequently in familiar or humorous use. Now rare .
hussy 1632– As a familiar, playful, or (now chiefly) contemptuous form of address to a woman.
she-man 1640– In Hebrew or biblical contexts: a woman (see note in etymology).
squaw 1642– In representations of the speech of Indigenous people of North America: a woman or wife. Now generally considered offensive .
her 1646– A female person, a woman. Also: (a woman's or girl's) self. Cf. she , n. B.2.
lost rib 1647– Womankind, or a woman, esp. regarded as something a man lacks or seeks.
uptails 1671 A woman.
biddy 1675– A girl or woman.
cow 1696– transferred . derogatory and offensive . An unpleasant or disliked woman. Often as a term of abuse.
tittup 1696–1901 A woman or girl, spec. one who is bold or impudent. Cf. tit , n.⁴ 2a. Obsolete ( regional in later use).
wife and mother 1702– Paired with mother in reference to a woman's traditional role within a family. Esp. in wife and mother .
she-woman 1703– A woman, a female. Now rare ( colloquial and somewhat derogatory in later use).
person 1704– An individual considered to be of low rank, status, or worth.
molly 1706– A girl, a woman, esp. a lower-class one; (occasionally) a prostitute. Cf. moll , n.² Now chiefly Irish English .
fusby 1707 derogatory . Obsolete . rare . Apparently: a lecherous or licentious woman.
goody 1708 A title of courtesy prefixed to the surname (or occasionally first name) of a woman, usually a married woman of humble social status. Also in…
riding hood 1718–47 A woman. Obsolete . rare .
birdie 1720– A humorous or familiar name for: a girl, a young woman. Cf. bird , n. III.13 and birdeen , n.
faggot 1722– Chiefly Irish English , Scottish , and English regional . derogatory . A woman, esp. one considered to be troublesome, useless, or slatternly…
piece of goods 1727– (a) A person, usually a woman; (b) (in later use) a person who has an unpleasant character (cf. piece of work n. at phrases P.4).
cummer 1745– A woman, a female; familiarly applied, like ‘fellow’ to a man. With various local specific applications, e.g. young woman, lass, girl, witch…
woman body 1771– A person of the female sex, a woman (typically implying sympathy for the subject).
she-male 1776– U.S. (originally colloquial and regional ). A woman, a female ( female , n. A.1b). Also: a female animal.
bitch 1785– colloquial . In neutral or positive use: a woman, a girl. Also as a form of address.
covess 1789– A female ‘cove’.
gin 1790– Australian . In later use offensive . An Australian Aboriginal woman or wife. Also more generally: any woman or female.
pintail 1792– colloquial . A person with narrow hips; a woman. Now English regional ( south-western ) and rare .
buer 1807– northern dialect and Tramps' slang (now depreciative ). A woman; (in later use) spec. one regarded as promiscuous or disreputable.
femme 1814– A woman; a wife; spec. (chiefly North American , esp. in the entertainment industry and in journalistic use) a young woman, a girl. Cf. sense B.1 and…
bibi 1816– Esp. in South Asia: (a name for) a lady.
Judy 1819– British slang . A woman, a girl; (also) a wife, girlfriend, or mistress (now somewhat dated ).
a bit (also bundle) of muslin 1823– slang . Women collectively. Esp. in a bit (also bundle) of muslin : a woman. Cf. skirt , n. I.1b. Now rare .
wifie 1823– Chiefly Scottish . A woman, esp. a small woman. Also (often depreciative ): a middle-aged or elderly woman, esp. a plain-looking or dowdy one. Cf. wife …
craft 1829– slang . A woman, a girl. Caribbean in later use.
shickster ?1834–82 A woman; esp. a promiscuous woman or prostitute. Cf. shiksa , n.
heifer 1835– slang (chiefly derogatory and likely to be considered offensive ). A woman or girl, (sometimes) spec. one regarded as unattractively large or…
klootchman 1835– North American ( north-western ). Now sometimes considered offensive . A woman or wife; esp. a woman or wife belonging to an Indigenous people. Cf. klootch , n.
mot 1837– A girl, a woman; one's girlfriend, one's wife.
tit 1837– A girl or young woman, spec. one who is disreputable or promiscuous; (in later use more generally) a woman of any age. Now slang (usually depreciative …
Sitt 1838– In Arabic-speaking contexts: a woman, a lady. Chiefly used as a title or form of address preceding a name.
tart 1838– colloquial (chiefly British , Australian , and New Zealand ). In neutral or affectionate use. A (young) woman, a girl. Now rare .
haybag 1842– slang . derogatory and offensive . A woman, esp. one who is elderly or overweight, or who is considered slovenly; (sometimes) spec. a prostitute…
strap 1842– Anglo-Irish . A term of abuse applied to a woman or girl.
donah 1844– A woman, spec. one who is regarded as disreputable.
bint 1855– colloquial (chiefly British ). Chiefly (and now only) depreciative or derogatory . A woman or girl; esp. a young woman.
popsy 1855– A woman, a girl; a female acquaintance; a girlfriend. Also popsy-wopsy .
woman's woman 1868– A woman whose qualities are appreciated by women, a woman who is popular with other women (cf. man's man , n. ).
to deliver the goods 1870– colloquial (originally U.S. ). to deliver (also come up with, produce) the goods : to do what one has promised to do or what is necessary to meet…
chapess 1871– A woman or girl; the female counterpart of a chap (see chap , n.³ 2a).
girl 1878– A woman of any age. Attested earlier in (often derogatory ) reference to women with respect to their occupation or social status: see senses I.7 and I.6.
ladykind 1878– The female sex; women in general; (occasionally) a woman; (also) the female part of a group or party.
mivvy 1881– derogatory . A woman; esp. the landlady of a lodging house.
dudess 1883– = dudette , n.
dudette 1883– A female dude (in various senses of dude , n. ). Also (occasionally): the female companion of a dude.
dudine 1883– = dudette , n.
totty 1885– slang (chiefly British ) (sometimes depreciative ). A girl or woman, esp. one who is regarded as sexually attractive, pleasure-seeking, or willing to…
tid 1888–96 A girl; a woman. Cf. tit , n.⁴ 2a.
tootsie 1895– Now chiefly U.S. A woman, a girl; a female sweetheart or girlfriend. Also occasionally applied to a man regarded with affection. Also (now somewhat…
floozy 1899– colloquial and usually derogatory (originally U.S. ). A sexually promiscuous woman; (sometimes) spec. a prostitute. Also a disparaging term for: a (young) woman; (with possessive) a girlfriend, a…
dame 1902– A girl; a woman. Chiefly U.S. slang .
jane 1906– A woman, girl, girlfriend.
Tom 1906– With reference to a woman. Australian and New Zealand colloquial . Originally: a girlfriend, a sweetheart; (later) any girl or woman. Cf. tom-tart , n. …
bit of stuff 1909– transferred and figurative . Predicatively, with epithet, of a person or a horse. Esp. in bit of stuff : now chiefly in slang use, with or without…
broad 1909– slang (originally and chiefly U.S. ). A woman. Now dated . In general use. Now likely to be considered offensive.
yorga a1910– A woman, esp. an Aboriginal woman.
babe 1911– colloquial (originally U.S. ). A lover; a sweetheart. Frequently as a term of endearment. Cf. baby , n. A.6a, sugar-babe at sugar , n. 2e.
muff 1914– slang (originally U.S. ). A woman, a girl, esp. a promiscuous one; a prostitute.
manhole 1916– slang . A vagina; (also, by extension and frequently derogatory ) a woman.
number 1919– colloquial . A person or thing. A person, esp. a girl or young woman. Frequently with modifying word. Also: spec. a sexual partner.
rossie 1922– A spirited, outspoken, or independent woman; (also) a sexually promiscuous woman or girl.
man's woman 1928– A woman whose qualities are appreciated by men; a woman who is popular with men.
scupper 1935– figurative . coarse slang . A depreciatory term for a woman, esp. a prostitute.
split 1935– slang . North American . A girl, a woman.
rye mort 1936– A lady; in quot. attributive .
totsy 1938– = totty , n. B.2a.
leg 1939– U.S. slang . A woman, esp. one who is attractive or (in later use) promiscuous. Also occasionally in plural .
skinny 1941– Australian slang . A girl or young woman. rare .
Richard 1950– British slang . Also with lower-case initial. A young woman.
potato 1957– Australian slang . A girl or woman. Now rare .
scow 1960– slang (chiefly U.S. ). A disparaging term for a woman.
wimmin 1975– In feminist use and contexts: women. Cf. womyn , n.
daughter a1398– A female animal in relation to either or both of its parents.
she ?1527– As a count noun. A female animal.

One is a fair , the other a brunet.

As a family, we divide evenly into fairs and darks—seven fair skinned and seven dark skinned.

fair 1771– A person with fair hair or (relatively) light skin. rare .
blonde 1822– A person with blond hair; one with light or ‘fair’ hair and the corresponding complexion; esp. a woman, in which case spelt blonde .
fairskin 1842– A (relatively) light-skinned person.
Rhine maiden 1965– Each of three water maidens who are guardians of the Rheingold in Wagner's cycle of operas Der Ring des Nibelungen (first performed 1869–74)…

Þe Amirales douȝter..þat was so fair and fre .

Myrthe that is so faire and fre .

Lef, lythes to me, Two wordes or thre, Off one þat was faire and fre .

Sichem the prince of that countre, Had reft Dina thair sister fair and fre .

Entred in, a spatious court they see..Where them does meete a francklin faire and free .

Com thou Goddes fair and free , In Heav'n ycleap't Euphrosyne.

If she be fair and free , She must see that in thee.

How happy is that Woman's Life, Who, fair and free , has Wealth in store!

My Lucy, Lucy fair and free .

But as the wife agreed, quite well, With her gay rival, fair and free .

That lady so fair and free With rudd as red as rose in May.

I praise thee, Eton, thou art fair and free .

As fortune wolde fulsun hom þe fayrer to haue.

Yar ennemys Had all ye fayrer [1487 St. John's Cambridge MS. farer] off ye fycht.

Þe troiens..þe fairer of þe fyght in þe feld had.

If it falle me by fortune the feirer to haue.

forecome Old English–1860 To gain the advantage of, overcome. Obsolete .
overcome Old English– transitive . To get the better of, defeat, overpower, prevail over (an enemy, person or thing opposing one, etc.). Also in extended use.
overwield late Old English–1592 transitive . To get the better of, gain mastery over; to overcome or subdue.
master c1225– transitive . To get the better of, in any contest or struggle; to overcome or defeat. In later use chiefly with immaterial object.
overmaistrie 1340–1484 transitive . = overmaster , v. 1.
overmatch a1375– transitive . To be more than a match for; to defeat by superior strength, skill, or craft; to surpass, excel. Also: to pit against a superior…
overpass a1382–1475 transitive . To overcome, get the better of. Obsolete .
surmount 1390– transitive . To prevail over, get the better of, overcome. A person; †also said of an emotion or desire. Now rare .
maistrie c1400–1533 transitive . = master , v.
to have the fairer (of) c1400–1540 to have the fairer (of) : to have the advantage or better fortune (in). Obsolete .
overmaster c1425– transitive . To make oneself master over; to master completely; to overcome, conquer, overpower. Frequently figurative .
win c1440–1791 intransitive with upon , on , † of . To gain an advantage over, get the better of; to gain or encroach upon; rarely , to overcome, subdue. Obsolete .
over c1485– transitive . Scottish . To get the better of, to master. Also reflexive : to control, regulate, or manage oneself; to bestir oneself. Cf. owerance , n.
bestride 1526– To stand over, as a victor over the fallen.
rixle c1540 intransitive . To deal or treat with with a person.
overreach 1555– transitive . To gain an advantage over, to get the better of; to outdo. Now rare .
control 1567–1755 transitive . To overpower, overmaster. Obsolete .
overmate 1567–1661 transitive . To be more than a match for; to defeat by superior strength.
govern 1593 transitive . To prevail over (a person) in a specified respect; to overmaster. Obsolete .
to give (a person) the lurch 1598–1626 to give (a person) the lurch : to discomfit, get the better of. Obsolete .
get 1600 transitive . To obtain (a position of superiority or advantage over another person). Cf. to get of —— at phrasal verbs PV.2.
to gain cope of 1614 to gain cope of : to gain the advantage over.
top 1637– transitive . To have or gain mastery or superiority over (someone or something); esp. to defeat, outdo, get the better of. Now chiefly Sport …
to fetch over a1640–80 To get the better of. Obsolete .
down 1641– transitive . figurative . To defeat, overthrow; to get the better of.
to have the whip hand (of) 1680– Figurative phr. to have the whip hand (of) : to have the advantage or upper hand (of), control. Hence in similar phr.
carberry 1692 transitive . ? To defeat, get the better of.
to cut down 1713– To take the lead of decisively in a race or run; to surpass, get the better of.
to be more than a match for 1762 A person or thing able to contend with another as an equal. Chiefly in phrases: to meet (also †find) one's match : to encounter or come up against…
outflank 1773– transitive . In extended use: to get the better of, confound.
outmaster 1799– transitive . To overcome in a struggle for superiority or mastery.
outgeneral 1831– transitive . In extended use: to get the better of by superior strategy or tactics.
weather 1834– Nautical . figurative . To get safely round; to get the better of.
best 1839– transitive . To get the better of, to get an advantage over; to outwit. Also: to cheat, defraud; cf. bester , n.
fore-reach 1845– transitive . To reach beyond, gain ground upon, pass. Also figurative . To get the better of.
to beat a person at his (also her, etc.) own game 1849– to beat a person at his (also her, etc.) own game : to defeat or outdo a person in his or her chosen activity or field of expertise, esp. by using his…
scoop 1850– slang . To take or take up in large quantities; to appropriate (something) in advance of or to the exclusion of other competitors. Chiefly to scoop …
euchre c1866– transitive . At euchre: to gain the advantage over (an adversary) by his or her failure to take three tricks: see the noun. Hence transferred to…
bemaster 1871– transitive . To master ( emphatic ).
negotiate 1888– transitive . To succeed in dealing with in the way desired; to manage or bring about successfully.
to do down 1900– transitive . colloquial . To overcome, get the better of, bring to grief; to cheat, swindle; to disparage, belittle.
to get (someone) wet c1926– to get (someone) wet : to gain the upper hand over; to have at one's mercy. New Zealand slang .
lick 1946– transferred . To solve (a problem or puzzle); to overcome, transcend (a difficulty). Chiefly U.S.

Crist..wolde not make it faire wiþ þese ordris.

to make it fair with a1425 to make it fair with : to deal compliantly with. Obsolete .
to ride (one) in, on, or with the snaffle 1577– to ride (one) in, on, or with the snaffle , to rule easily, to guide with a light hand.
to pull one's punches 1931– to pull one's punches : ( figurative ) to use less force than one is capable of exerting; to be gentle or lenient, esp. in criticism. Frequently in…
to take it easy on (a person) 1934– to take it easy on (a person) : to treat (a person) gently or sparingly; to be lenient with (someone).
to ease up 1950– transitive . Caribbean . To treat (a person) leniently; to go easy on. Cf. sense 1b(b).

Our kyng..bad hem all be a good chere For they shold haue a faire day & a gracious victorie.

A famous victory and a faire daie.

The Egiptians thought to haue had a faire day at them.

They [ sc. the Romans] ..were but only in some good hope of having a fair day of their enemies.

Foretelling a fair day , the Soldiers now Began to bustle.

victory a1340– An instance or occasion of overcoming an adversary in battle, etc.; a triumph gained by force of arms.
a fair day 1480–1683 a fair day : a successful day in battle. Obsolete .

The Caliphes..obteined..a mighty Empire, which was in faire way to have inlarged.

In Huckster's Hands , at a desperate Pass, or Condition, or in a fair way to be lost.

Several wounded, who are in a fair way of recovery.

Imperiali..having been in a fair way of obtaining the pontificate.

Being at last in a fair way of succeeding.

They are in a fair way of learning the niceness of being nice.

George was at length in a fair way to achieve his ambition of running the country.

Once you can distinguish the different tastes of water, you are in a fair way to have detoxified yourself.

to be in a fair way to (do something) a1618– to be in a fair way to (do something) : to have a good chance or be in a good position to (do or achieve something). Similarly to be in a fair way of …
to be (also seem) fair for 1642–78 to be (also seem) fair for : to have (or appear to have) a good chance of reaching or attaining. Similarly to be fair to (do something) . Cf. stand , v. …

Many more..who might seeme faire for it [ sc. the grace of God] .

He was fair (for ever) to have free'd his Fathers Territories of the Turk.

I once was, as I thought, fair for the Cœlestial City.

P.1.f. fair to see (to) : see see v. VI.29 . Cite

Minas, 16 bags, fair to middling , 8¼d.; Tenesees, 197 bales, very ordinary 5½d.

The men are fair to middling .

I guess my wallet's fair-to-middling fat.

‘How'd they feed ye back there?’..‘Oh, fair to middlin' .’

A fair-to-middling detective story.

England's chances in the European Championship are fair-to-middling .

It is a fair bet that we shall not have far to go without finding them at work.

Not one man in ten resides in the place of his birth; and it is a fair bet that he comes from a different State from that in which you find him.

It is a fair bet that, with some bush natives taking full advantage of their drinking rights, there will be some lively corroborees in lounges and beer gardens.

If we do this job well, it's a fair bet we will be rewarded; if not, we are highly likely to suffer a penalty.

If you will step in there..Mr. Weller will see fair .

The police..came up to see fair between both sides.

As most of us believe that God made both Mr Hitler and Lord Halifax, we must reasonably believe that God will see fair .

Woolford, a daring young rascal, on leaving the station, said the birch was ‘a fair treat ’.

This air makes yer liver work a fair treat .

‘You're a fair treat , Tom,’ ses Bill... ‘I thought you'd be pleased, Bill,’ ses Tom.

These little Folkestone hills are a Fair Treat .

Miss Cavendish. You're looking a fair treat .

It'll spice up the meat a fair treat .

lustly Old English–1275 With pleasure or delight; gladly, willingly.
queemly Old English–1572 In a pleasing or agreeable manner. Obsolete .
sootly Old English–1614 In a sweet or pleasant manner; sweetly.
sweetly Old English– So as to be pleasing to the mind or the feelings; pleasurably; comfortably.
winly Old English–1525 Pleasantly, agreeably; finely, splendidly. (Often vague in alliterative verse.)
to (a person's) queem c1175–1500 Pleasure, satisfaction. Chiefly in to (a person's) queem : so as to be satisfactory; to a person's liking or satisfaction. to take to queem : to accept.
lustily a1225–1533 With pleasure or delight; pleasantly, pleasurably; delightfully. Also, gladly, willingly. (Cf. lustly , adv. 1) Obsolete .
avenantly a1375 Suitably, agreeably, pleasantly.
pleasingly a1398– In a pleasing manner, so as to please; = pleasantly , adv. 1.
queem a1400– Chiefly Scottish . In a pleasing, agreeable, or satisfactory manner; gently, smoothly; = queemly , adv.
bein c1400– Pleasantly, genially, kindly.
farrandly c1400– Pleasantly, handsomely, splendidly.
pleasantly c1400– In a way that pleases or gratifies; pleasingly, agreeably.
pleasantly a1425– In a manner showing pleasure or contentment; cheerfully, good-humouredly.
queemfully c1425–80
thankfully c1480–1576 So as to gratify, please, or satisfy; acceptably, pleasingly; satisfactorily. Obsolete .
greably c1500–25 Agreeably.
dulcely 1508–1856 In a sweet or pleasing way; soothingly.
dulce a1525–62 Sweetly; harmoniously. Obsolete .
pleasant 1553– = pleasantly , adv. Now nonstandard .
agreeably ?1567 In pleasing manner; enjoyably, pleasantly. (Now the most common sense.)
pleasurably 1580– In a pleasurable manner; in or with pleasure; pleasantly, agreeably.
sugarly 1587 Pleasantly, agreeably.
flattering 1597– Quasi- adv. = flatteringly , adv.
sweet 1597– = sweetly , adv. 3.
attractively 1640– In a manner that attracts people; pleasingly, pleasantly.
well-pleasingly 1645–1856
welcomely 1646– In a welcome manner. In a manner that is welcomed; so as to gratify or please.
flatteringly 1661 In a flattering manner.
relishingly 1677– Appetizingly, deliciously; enjoyably.
satisfyingly 1743– Modifying an adjective: to a satisfying degree; (later usually) pleasingly, gratifyingly; in a fulfilling way.
sweetsome 1799– Sweet, pleasant. Also adv.
smilingly 1807– transferred . Pleasantly, agreeably, cheerfully.
dulcetly 1810– In a dulcet manner; sweetly, gently.
gratifyingly 1822–
honeyedly 1832– Sweetly, pleasantly; with charm or eloquence.
enjoyably 1877– In an enjoyable manner.
suavely 1883– Agreeably, sweetly, gently.
a fair treat 1884– a fair treat (in predicative use) a person or thing considered to be highly pleasing or commendable; (as adverbial phrase) very well. Cf. treat , n.¹ …
congenially 1884– In a congenial manner.
weal a1225–1490 Applied to a person, as a source of felicity, or an object of delight. Obsolete .
pleaser c1447– A person who or thing which pleases, or aims at pleasing. Frequently as the second element in objective compounds.
agreeable 1712–39 An agreeable person, esp. a woman or girl. Obsolete .
treat 1825– Something highly enjoyable; a great pleasure, delight, or gratification. Also rarely applied to a person as an emotional expression of…
nicey ?1870– A nice person or thing; a treat.
treat 1805– Something highly enjoyable; a great pleasure, delight, or gratification. Also rarely applied to a person as an emotional expression of…
jam 1871– transferred and figurative . Something good or sweet, esp. with allusion to the use of sweets to hide the disagreeable taste of medicine, or the like…
pie 1884–1902 colloquial (originally U.S. ). Something very pleasant or pleasurable to deal with; something to be eagerly appropriated; a prize, a treat. Obsolete .

A world wide wholesale sign painter and a world beater. In it for fair —in it to paint signs everywhere.

I seem to be putting my foot in it for fair .

These bimbos were a couple of lollipops for fair . There wouldn't have been an ounce of fight in a ton of them.

Then we danced and started on the beer for fair .

We've chopped their supply line for fair , and they're heading into a real motherfucker of an ambush.

He approves of the Boys Order of De Molay, and will give it a fair wind in Montana.

I have also asked our P.M. to send a personal message to Nehru, asking him to give it a fair wind in Peking.

He gives the Anglo-Irish agreement a very gloomy outlook, and he only allowed it a few grudging words at the outset because Willie Whitelaw asked him to ‘give it a fair wind’.

Give the salt a fair wind , please.

Give the mustard a fair wind , ‘Pass the mustard’.

Give the salt a fair wind —On board ship this simply meant ‘pass the salt’.

Give the salt and pepper a fair wind in this direction please.

P.2.g. a fair cop : see cop n. 7 1 . all's fair in love and war : see all's fair in love and war at love n. 1 Phrases P.6a.ii . to make fair weather (of) : see weather n. 2b . to show a fair pair of heels : see show v. Phrases P.1a . Cite

Look in that Breast, most dirty D——! be fair , Say, can you find out one such Lodger there?

‘Celia, Celia! Be fair , now!’ cried Elmore.

Be fair ; give ear.

Hold on though, Morse! Be fair ! Amid a plethora of caveats, Dr Hobson had pointed to a fairly specific type of weapon, had she not?

‘He never did his shirt buttons up, if I remember rightly. He made Tom Jones look like the soul of propriety’ ‘Euk!’ ‘ Be fair . It was a long time ago. It was probably fashionable at the time’.

To be fair , it can be said..that Governor Cummins is credited with a majority of the delegates chosen, just as the opponents of the then Governor..had a majority of the delegates.

To be fair , it should be noted that ‘selective attention’ works both ways.

He always spoke his mind—though, to be fair , he'd welly in on anybody's side.

It did give us enormous powers, to be fair . Powers to take fingerprints, photographs.

To be fair , some of the vulnerabilities have only been possible after users ‘jailbroke’ their phones to run applications not authorised by Apple.

Two per cent discount— fair enough .

‘Let me hear what the service is, and then I will answer you.’ ‘ Fair enough .’

‘ Fair enough ,’ said Madam Delia, submitting. ‘I ain't denyin' of it.’

Wilbraham considered. ‘ Fair enough ,’ he said at last. ‘I agree.’

‘Why won't he come?’ ‘Simply because he don't want to.’ ‘ Fair enough . Fair enough. Let's get the dinghy.’

OK, fair enough , maybe some people don't think the hair and suits work.

well, well Old English– Reduplicated. Expressing surprise, anticipation, resignation, or acquiescence. well, well . Also well, well, well .
fair enough 1817– fair enough : that's reasonable; I accept that.

Fair is fair, work or play.

Fair's fair , old fellow, but double duty is too much for any one.

No, but fair's fair , and if I am not in this, it is low.

Fair's fair ..I'll spin a coin for it.

‘No, no,’ said Mr Green, with a sigh of noble resignation. ‘ Fair's fair . They're your plums now.’

Of course, fair's fair , men will have to set about reclaiming the Heathcliffs and Rochesters from romantic stereotyping too.

fair's fair 1840– fair's fair : (reciprocal) fairness is called for; let's be reasonable; it's only right.

Health insurance firms don't like bad risks:..they mostly leave the mentally subnormal, pregnant women, and the accident prone to the dear old NHS. Fair point .

Fran interjected, ‘my guess is that Tom..saw it as an opportunity to express his point of view.’ ‘OK, fair point .’

Fair point , fair point. I can see where you're coming from.

Feir biheste makeþ mony mon al is serewes mythe.

Faire hotes makes foles blythe.

A fere be-heyste makyt a fole gladde.

Fayre promisses maketh foles fayne.

Fayre wordes make fooles fayne.

Faire words makes fooles, replieth he againe.

Fair words butter no cabbage.

Fair words break never bone; foul words breaks many ane.

Money does all things, but fair words butter no cabbage.

Either give up the point at once, or go on with temper. Fair words break no bones.

I have..put him off with fair words, which make fools fain.

‘He was always good-natured to me.’ ‘Ah! my dear, “fair words butter no turnips”.’

The belly is not filled with fair words.

‘Ho, ho! my masters’, cried he; ‘ fair words break no bones’.

Fair words break no bones. There is nothing lost by civility.

Fair words butter no cabbage. Serbian.

Pronunciation

ð th ee
ɬ rhingy ll

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence <petal> /ˈpɛtl/ but <petally> /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

a trap, bath
ɑː start, palm, bath
ɔː thought, force
ᵻ (/ɪ/-/ə/)
ᵿ (/ʊ/-/ə/)

Other symbols

The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here .

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in <bitter>

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence <petal> /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but <petally> /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

i fleece, happ y
æ trap, bath
ɑ lot, palm, cloth, thought
ɔ cloth, thought
ɔr north, force
ə strut, comm a
ər nurse, lett er
ɛ(ə)r square
æ̃ sal on

Simple Text Respell

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

arr carry (British only)
a(ng) gratin
o lot (British only)
orr sorry (British only)
o(ng) salon

Date of use

Variant forms.

Old English fæger , fægger ( rare ) , fægir ( rare ) , fægorost (superlative, probably transmission error) , fægyr ( rare ) , fæiger ( rare ) , færestan (superlative, weak declension, dative, perhaps transmission error) , færigestan (superlative, weak declension, genitive, probably transmission error) , fager ( rare ) , feger , fęger ( rare )
late Old English feager
early Middle English fæȝer , fæier , fæiȝer , fæir , faȝer , faȝȝerr ( Ormulum ) , fehere (comparative) , feherest (superlative) , feiȝer
Middle English faiger , fairre (comparative) , fareste (superlative) , farrer (comparative) , fayir , fayire , feȝre , feher , feire , feirhare (comparative) , fer , ffayer , ffayr , ffayre , ffeyre
Middle English–1500s feier , feir , fere , feyer , feyr
Middle English–1600s faier , faire , fare , fayer , fayr , fayre , feyre
Middle English– fair
1800s far ( U.S. regional )
1900s– fa'r ( U.S. regional )
1800s feear ( Cornwall )
1800s– faer ( Westmorland ) , far ( Oxfordshire ) , fare ( northern )
pre-1700 far , fear , ffair
early Middle English faiȝer

β. southern

early Middle English uæȝer ( south-west midlands ) , uæir ( south-west midlands ) , ueȝer ( south-west midlands ) , ueieȝer ( south-west midlands ) , ueir ( south-west midlands )
Middle English uair , uayr , uayre , vair , vayr , veir ( south-west midlands ) , veyre ( south-west midlands )
1500s vaire
1800s vare ( Devon )
1800s– vaair ( Berkshire )

fair is one of the 5,000 most common words in modern written English. It is similar in frequency to words like acknowledge , attach , diagnosis , illness , and score .

It typically occurs about 40 times per million words in modern written English.

fair is in frequency band 6, which contains words occurring between 10 and 100 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency of fair, adj. & n.¹ , 1750–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole , n.¹, mole , n.², mole , n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Frequency of fair, adj. & n.¹ , 2017–2023

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Compounds & derived words

All compounds & derived words
Curated compounds
fair , v. Old English– intransitive. Of the weather: to become fine, bright, or calm; to clear up. Frequently with away, off, up. In later use chiefly U.S. regional…
fairly , adv. Old English– In accordance with what is right or just; equitably; without bias, impartially. Also: with good reason, rightfully.
fairlec , n. c1225–1390 Beauty.
fairhead , n. c1300–1600 Beauty, attractiveness.
fairship , n. c1300–1647 Beauty; splendour.
fair speaking , n. a1387– Pleasant speech; eloquence, esp. as intended to flatter or deceive.
fair speaker , n. a1398– An eloquent person, an orator. Also: a person whose words are specious or insincere, a flatterer.
wall-fair , n. c1450 = wallflower, n.
fair lady , n. a1470– (With possessive pronoun) a woman who is the object of one's love or devotion (esp. with allusion to chivalrous love); a man's wife or partner; now…
fair-conditioned , adj. 1473– (a) Pleasant-natured, good-tempered (now rare); (b) in reasonably good condition.
fair-coloured , adj. ?1473–
fair seeming , n. 1484– Pleasant or attractive appearance or behaviour, esp. when intended to flatter or deceive. Also: an instance of this.
fair roebuck , n. 1486–1688 A fully grown roe deer, esp. a buck; spec. one in its fifth year.
fair play , n. & int. ?a1500– Respect for the fair or equal treatment of all concerned, or for the rules of a game or sport; just or honest conduct.
fairhood , n. ?1503– Beauty, attractiveness. Cf. fairhead, n.
fair-handed , adj. 1505– (a) Having beautiful, nicely shaped, or fair-skinned hands (in later use sometimes implying unfamiliarity with hard work); also figurative (now…
fair folk , n. a1522– (With the or in plural) fairies collectively; cf. fairy folk at fairy, n. & adj.compounds C.1b.
fair rent , n. 1523– The amount of rent which a tenant may reasonably be expected to pay for the use of specified land or property; spec. (in the United Kingdom) that…
fair dealer , n.¹ 1529– A person who acts in a just and honest manner, esp. in business dealings; a person who treats others fairly.
fair means , n. ?1529– Non-violent methods, a peaceable course of action; (later) esp. legitimate or honourable methods.
snout-fair , adj. 1530–1644 Having a fair countenance; fair-faced, comely, handsome.
fair-tongued , adj. 1541– Pleasant and charming of speech; spec. (esp. in early use) using flattery for one's own ends.
fair-skinned , adj. 1546– Having a light complexion.
fair-eyed , adj. 1553–
fair-faced , adj. 1553– Of a person. (a) Having a beautiful or attractive face; beautiful, good-looking. (b) Having a fair or light-coloured complexion.
fair-fashioned , adj. ?1555–1878 (a) Well-made; (b) Scottish superficially attractive or pleasant-mannered; plausible; flattering.
fair-in-sight , n. 1578– Any of several campanulas (genus Campanula) having showy blue flowers.
all-fair , adj. 1592– Surpassingly or sublimely beautiful; (also occasionally as n.) that which is surpassingly or sublimely beautiful.
fair-haired , adj. 1597– Having light as opposed to dark-coloured hair; blonde.
fair-shaped , adj. 1597– (a) Having a shape that is attractive, desirable, or fitting; (b) (in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics) designed to minimize drag; streamlined; cf…
fair-cheeked , adj. 1600–
fair copy , n. 1605– A neat, clearly legible copy of a written or printed document; spec. a transcript free from corrections. Cf. fair, adj. A.III.11e, clean, adj. II.3c.
fitly-fair , adj. 1605–
fair-featured , adj. ?1605–
fair pleading , n. 1607– = beaupleader, n. Also: an instance of this; an amended plea.
fair-weathered , adj. 1608– (a) That (consistently) has good weather; (b) chiefly U.S. dependable only in favourable circumstances; = fair-weather, adj. 3.
fair dealing , n. 1609– Just and honest conduct, esp. (in later use) with regard to business affairs; equitable treatment of others.
unfair , v. 1609– transitive. To deprive of fairness or beauty.
fair-weather , adj. 1610– Dependable only when conditions or circumstances are favourable; unreliable in times of difficulty.
fairish , adj. & adv. 1611– Moderately good, passable; (of the weather) reasonably pleasant or clement.
fair-complexioned , adj. 1615–
fair-enamoured , adj. 1622–88 Charmed by or in love with a beautiful woman (or thing personified).
disfair , v. 1628 transitive. To deprive of fairness or beauty.
fair maid , n. 1629– In the names of any of several plants having attractive and delicate flowers. (a) Ragged robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi; (b) aconite-leaved buttercup…
fair world , n. 1641 A state of well-being or prosperity.
fair-minded , adj. 1645– Just, honest, unbiased.
fair trade , n. & adj. 1648– A system of ethical trade in which a company in a developed country pays a fair price to a producer in a less-developed country, and seeks to ensure…
fair share , n. 1650– An equitable or reasonable portion or share of something; (more generally) a good number, a large amount, sometimes implying the amount is excessive…
fair pleader , n. 1655–1707 = beaupleader, n.
fair-like , adj.² 1663– That is in good condition; beautiful, attractive; (also) reasonably good, fairish.
fair trader , n. 1673– gen. A person who or business which trades fairly or legally.
fair trading , n. 1685– The action of trading legally, fairly, or honestly; trade conducted on these principles; = fair trade, n. A.1.
fair game , n. 1690– A legitimate object of pursuit; a person or thing considered a reasonable target for criticism, exploitation, or attack.
fair-born , adj. 1709–
fair chance , n. 1723–53 A type of 18th-cent. gambling game or lottery.
fair green , n.¹ 1744– The stretch of shorter grass constituting the preferred playing surface between the tee and the putting green of a particular hole; = fairway, n. 3.
fair curve , n. 1754– A smooth curve; esp. (Nautical) one in the body of a ship.
fair-sized , adj. 1800– Reasonably large; fairly big.
fairleader , n. 1808– = fairlead, n.
fair-top boot , n. 1809– A type of boot having a top part of light-coloured leather.
fair-grass , n. 1825–1920 Either of two plants of grassy habitats, silverweed, Potentilla anserina (cf. fair days, n.), and bulbous buttercup, Ranunculus bulbosus.
fair-hair , n. 1825 = paxwax, n.
fair deal , n. 1837– A deal or transaction which is just or reasonable. Also: (an instance of) equitable treatment. Cf. square deal at deal, n.² 4c(b).
fairskin , n. 1842– A (relatively) light-skinned person.
fair-walling , n. 1843– The smooth, well-finished wall above the rougher foundations of a building.
fairation , n. 1847– Fairness, justice, honesty; fair play. Also as int.
fair-waisted , adj. 1851–
fair ball , n. 1855– (a) A pitch delivered within the strike zone (now rare); (b) a batted ball that keeps within the two foul lines as it goes past first or third base…
phantom-fair , adj. 1855–
fairlead , n. 1858– A fitting or device on a vessel, vehicle, etc., which guides a rope or wire running through it, and prevents snagging or chafing.
fair do's , n. 1859– Equitable or unbiased treatment (frequently used to request just treatment or accept that it has been given); cf. do, n.¹ 1a.
fair catch , n. 1861– (a) (In Rugby Union and Australian Rules football) a catch of a ball kicked by an opposing player leading to a mark (mark, n.¹ VII.32); (b) American…
fair-face , adj. 1861– (Of brickwork) = fair-faced, adj. 3.
fairsome , adj. 1862– Beautiful, attractive.
woman-fair , adj. 1866
fair use , n. 1869– (In U.S. copyright law) the doctrine that excerpts of copyrighted material may, under certain circumstances, be quoted without the permission of the…
fair ground , n.² 1877– The part of the playing surface within and including the foul lines (foul line, n. 1). Cf. fair territory, n.
fair dinkum , adv., n., & adj. 1879– Originally and chiefly Australian Sport. Of a game, match, etc.: fairly, honestly, or gamely contested; (also of a participant) playing, fighting…
Fair Hebe jug , n. 1881– Any of a number of Staffordshire-ware jugs made in the late 18th cent. by the French potter John Voyez and his imitators, bearing a design in relief…
fair days , n. 1884– Silverweed, Potentilla anserina.
fair comment , n. 1887– A comment or criticism made without malicious intent and based on correct factual information; (now more usually) the right to make such a comment…
fair go , n. & int. 1888– Usually as a fair go. A fair chance, a ‘square deal’; a fair contest; equitable or reasonable treatment.
fair territory , n. 1888– The part of the playing area within and including the foul lines (foul line, n. 1); cf. fair ground, n.²
snow-fair , adj. 1895–
fair cow , n. 1904– An exceedingly unpleasant or disagreeable person, situation, etc.; cf. fair, adj. A.III.16.
morning-fair , adj. 1938–

Wes þu þinum yldrum arfæst symle, fægerwyrde.

He was A man fayre formed. and of large stature.

Eloquent , fayre langaged.

He was comely and fair -visag'd.

Her faire-anckl'd Mother.

Young Buckingham is a fayre natur'd Prince.

Fair -zon'd damsels form the sprightly dance.

Does Jove approach her in this fair -horn'd state?

In the number rank'd Of fair -reputed callings.

Now no azure vein Wander'd on fair -spaced temples.

Weep for the falseness of fair -worded men.

Angry with me for the sake Of a fair -tressed wanton.

I shall be only too glad to hear any criticism or fair -spirited attack that may be leveled, either at the book or at myself.

Schrötter was a fair -bearded giant, who was certainly well equipped physically for playing ‘heroic’ parts.

The scullion was a fair -skilled, jolly, good-natured young artist.

The 14-track album sees the fair -voiced singer expounding on her strength as an interpreter of popular tunes.

Entry history for fair, adj. & n.¹

fair, adj. & n.¹ was first published in January 1894.

fair, adj. & n.¹ was last modified in February 2024.

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Citation details

Factsheet for fair, adj. & n.¹, browse entry.

IMAGES

37 Useful Phrases For Presentations In English • Study Advanced English
Fair Meaning : Definition of Fair
Fare vs. Fair (with Illustrations and Examples)
Fair
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10 Lines on Fair || Essay on Fair in English || Short Essay on Fair || Fair Essay Writing

VIDEO

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COMMENTS

Accounting Policies
What does fair presentation mean? Financial statements are described as showing a 'true and fair view' when they are free from material misstatements and faithfully represent the financial performance and position of an entity. In some countries, this is an essential part of financial reporting. Under International Financial Reporting Standards, financial statements are required to ...
Fair presentation
Quick Reference. The requirement that financial statements should not be misleading. 'Fair presentation' is the US and International Accounting Standards equivalent of the British requirement that financial statements give a true and fair view. From: fair presentation in A Dictionary of Finance and Banking ». Subjects: Social sciences ...
Fair Presentation
An accounting standards' requirement that an entity's financial statements should be presented in a fair way to all relevant users of these statements. In other words, it is premised on the requirement that these statements should not be misleading. Under the principle of fair presentation, financial statements must fairly present the financial position, financial performance
PDF International Standard on Auditing 700 (Revised) Forming an ...
fair presentation shall include consideration of: (a) The overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements; and (b) Whether the financial statements, including the related notes, represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
Difference Between Fair Presentation and Faithful Representation
Fair presentation requires the faithful (unbiased) representation of the monetary effects of transactions, other events and circumstances in accordance with the applicable concepts and recognition criteria for assets, liabilities, income and expenses. On the other hand, faithful representation is an accounting concept (or principle) that ...
PDF THE DUTY OF DISCLOSURE AND FAIR PRESENTATION
English law, you must, at all times, act with utmost good faith towards your insurer. Before your policy is placed, at renewal, and when varying or extending the policy, you have a duty under the Insurance Act 2015 to make a "fair presentation" of the risk and you must disclose to your insurer all information,
Fair presentation
In the new. IAS 1, the meaning of 'fair presentation' is explained: 'fair presentation requires the faithful representation' of effects of transactions in accordance with definitions and recognition criteria set out in the Framework. Compliance with IFRSs results, 'in virtually all circumstances' in 'fair presentation'.
The Duty of Fair Presentation: An Essential Refresher
The Act provides that a fair presentation of the risk is one which makes the disclosure referred to above in a manner that would be reasonably clear and accessible to a prudent insurer (in effect ...
The Duty of Fair Presentation: An Essential Refresher
In essence, the Duty of Fair Presentation requires those seeking insurance to volunteer and disclose the information that a prudent insurer would want to know when it is: (i) deciding whether to issue the policy and, if so, on what terms; and (ii) determining the premium payable for the cover sought. The Act provides that a fair presentation of ...
'True and Fair View' versus 'Fair Presentation' Accountings: Are ...
For accounting statements, United States of America (USA) legally requires, as an overriding principle, the "Fair Presentation" of financial information while the European Union applies "True and Fair View" principle. Are these two principles same or similar in actual legal analysis? Such an answer is essential to harmonize laws of financial ...
True And Fair Presentation
True and Fair presentation as following. True - Information is based on facts and conforms with reality in that there are no factual errors. In addition, it is assumed that to be true it must comply with accounting standards and any relevant legislation. True includes data that is correctly transferred from accounting records to the financial ...
IAS 1
Overview. IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements sets out the overall requirements for financial statements, including how they should be structured, the minimum requirements for their content and overriding concepts such as going concern, the accrual basis of accounting and the current/non-current distinction. The standard requires a complete set of financial statements to comprise a ...
fair presentation
That's not a fair presentation of the policy here, but it is how the political rhetoric shapes up. 1. The New York Times. If Caitlyn Jenner has become to some degree a role model for trans women across America and even the world, then her Vanity Fair presentation certainly puts forward a rarified view of the part. 2.
PRESENTATION
PRESENTATION definition: 1. a talk giving information about something: 2. an occasion when prizes, qualifications, etc. are…. Learn more.
fair presentation
Learn the definition of 'fair presentation'. Check out the pronunciation, synonyms and grammar. Browse the use examples 'fair presentation' in the great English corpus. ... No significant matter was found that might affect the fair presentation of the financial statements. UN-2.
presentation noun
[countable] a meeting at which something, especially a new product or idea, or piece of work, is shown to a group of people presentation on/about somebody/something The sales manager will give a presentation on the new products.; Several speakers will be making short presentations.; The conference will begin with a keynote presentation by a leading industry figure.
Fair Presentation Definition
definition. Fair Presentation means the statutory duty upon the Insured to provide a fair presentation of the risk, more particularly described in Part 2 of the Insurance Act 2015. Fair Presentation means disclosure of every material circumstances which the Insured knows or ought to know, or which gives the Insurer sufficient information to put ...
fair presentation definition
fair presentation translation in English - English Reverso dictionary, see also 'fair, fair copy, fair game, Fair Isle', examples, definition, conjugation
FAIR
FAIR definition: 1. treating someone in a way that is right or reasonable, or treating a group of people equally and…. Learn more.
Fair Definition & Meaning
fair: [adjective] marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. conforming with the established rules : allowed. consonant with merit or importance : due. open to legitimate pursuit, attack, or ridicule.
35 Powerful Presentation Phrases in English for Engaging Your ...
Try Parrot for Free. 35 Powerful Presentation Phrases in English for Engaging Your Audience. by Ima Ocon. Your palms are sweating. For a moment, your mind goes blank. All eyes are on you. That moment right before you start presenting - as you take in your audience - is usually the scariest. The nervousness lessens with practice, but even ...
Useful phrases for giving a presentation in English
Highlighting information during your talk. When you are giving a presentation in English, you might want to highlight a particular piece of information or something that's important. You can use phrases such as 'Let's focus on …', 'I want to highlight …', 'Pay attention to …', 'Let's look at …', 'I want to ...
fair, adj. & n.¹ meanings, etymology and more
Allowed by the rules; made or done according to the rules; permissible, legitimate; spec. not incurring a penalty, the loss of a point, etc. Cf. foul adj. II.19a. See also fair ball n., fair strike at strike n.1 12b.i. 1655. That is a fair ball in the Tennis-Court, which toucheth the line, yet goeth over it.