Adverbs of Degree: Fairly, Rather, Quite & Pretty
Level B2 · Adjectives & Adverbs
fairly, rather, quite, and pretty all modify an adjective or adverb to show degree — 'to what extent' — sitting between 'somewhat' and 'very'. They aren't interchangeable: each carries its own shade of meaning and its own level of formality. It's fairly cold (mildly, unremarkably) is weaker than It's rather cold (noticeably, sometimes with a hint of surprise or complaint), and both are less strong than It's quite cold, which can mean either 'noticeably' (with gradable adjectives) or 'completely' (with extreme adjectives).
How each degree adverb behaves:
- fairly is the mildest of the group, and always means 'moderately' — never 'completely': The film was fairly good (better than average, not amazing).
- rather often adds a note of surprise, contrast, or mild complaint, and can sound more formal than fairly: The exam was rather difficult (more difficult than expected).
- quite has two different strengths depending on the adjective: with gradable adjectives (good, cold, tall) it means 'fairly/moderately' (It's quite cold); with ungradable/extreme adjectives (perfect, amazing, impossible, empty) it means 'completely' (The room was quite empty — totally empty, not partly).
- pretty is the most informal of the four, common in speech, and sits close to rather in strength: The movie was pretty good (fairly/quite good, in casual speech).
- With ungradable adjectives, only quite (meaning 'completely') and absolutely/totally work naturally — fairly/rather perfect sounds odd, because perfect is already an extreme, all-or-nothing quality.
The most common mistake is using quite with an ungradable adjective and assuming it means 'moderately', when in fact it means 'completely' there — quite amazing means totally amazing, not somewhat amazing, unlike quite good, which does mean moderately good. A second mistake is using fairly with an extreme adjective, which sounds odd because extreme adjectives don't have a 'moderate' degree — fairly perfect is unnatural; use quite perfect or absolutely perfect instead.
Check whether the adjective is gradable (good, cold, tall — has degrees) or ungradable/extreme (perfect, amazing, empty, impossible — all-or-nothing). With gradable adjectives, fairly/rather/quite/pretty all mean roughly 'moderately', each with a different shade of formality or surprise. With ungradable adjectives, quite switches meaning to 'completely', and fairly/rather stop working naturally.