The difference between Equal and Fair

When used as nouns, equal means a person or thing of equal status to others, whereas fair means something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).

When used as verbs, equal means to be equal to, to have the same value as, whereas fair means to smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).

When used as adjectives, equal means the same in all respects, whereas fair means beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.


Fair is also adverb with the meaning: clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably.

check bellow for the other definitions of Equal and Fair

  1. Equal as an adjective (not comparable):

    The same in all respects.

    Examples:

    "'Equal conditions should produce equal results."

    "All men are created equal."

  2. Equal as an adjective (mathematics, not comparable):

    Exactly identical, having the same value.

    Examples:

    "All right angles are equal."

  3. Equal as an adjective (obsolete):

    Fair, impartial.

  4. Equal as an adjective (comparable):

    Adequate; sufficiently capable or qualified.

    Examples:

    "This test is pretty tough, but I think I'm equal to it."

  5. Equal as an adjective (obsolete):

    Not variable; equable; uniform; even.

    Examples:

    "an equal movement"

  6. Equal as an adjective (music):

    Intended for voices of one kind only, either all male or all female; not mixed.

  1. Equal as a verb (mathematics):

    To be equal to, to have the same value as; to correspond to.

    Examples:

    "Two plus two equals four."

  2. Equal as a verb:

    To be equivalent to; to match

    Examples:

    "David equaled the water level of the bottles, so they now both contain exactly 1 liter."

  3. Equal as a verb (informal):

    To have as its consequence.

    Examples:

    "Losing this deal equals losing your job."

    "Might does not equal right."

  1. Equal as a noun:

    A person or thing of equal status to others.

    Examples:

    "We're all equals here."

    "This beer has no equal."

  2. Equal as a noun (obsolete):

    State of being equal; equality.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Spenser"

  1. Fair as an adjective (literary, _, or, _, archaic):

    Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.

    Examples:

    "Monday's child is fair of face."

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

  2. Fair as an adjective:

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

    Examples:

    "one's fair name"

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

  3. Fair as an adjective:

    Light in color, pale, particularly as regards skin tone but also referring to blond hair.

    Examples:

    "She had fair hair and blue eyes."

  4. Fair as an adjective:

    Just, equitable.

    Examples:

    "He must be given a fair trial."

  5. Fair as an adjective:

    Adequate, reasonable, or decent.

    Examples:

    "The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment."

  6. Fair as an adjective (nautical, of a wind):

    Favorable to a ship's course.

  7. Fair as an adjective:

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

    Examples:

    "a fair sky;  a fair day"

  8. Fair as an adjective:

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

    Examples:

    "a fair mark;  in fair sight;  a fair view"

  9. Fair as an adjective (shipbuilding):

    Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

  10. Fair as an adjective (baseball):

    Between the baselines.

  11. Fair as an adjective (rugby, of a catch):

    Taken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.

  12. Fair as an adjective (cricket, of a ball delivered by the bowler):

    Not a no-ball.

  1. Fair as a noun:

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

    Examples:

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

  2. Fair as a noun (obsolete):

    A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex'; also as a collective singular, women.

  3. Fair as a noun (obsolete):

    Fairness, beauty.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Shakespeare"

  4. Fair as a noun:

    A fair woman; a sweetheart.

  5. Fair as a noun (obsolete):

    Good fortune; good luck.

  1. Fair as a verb:

    To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).

  2. Fair as a verb:

    To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).

  3. Fair as a verb:

    To construct or design a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline or reduce air drag or water resistance.

  4. Fair as a verb (obsolete):

    To make fair or beautiful.

  1. Fair as an adverb:

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

  1. Fair as a noun:

    A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.

  2. Fair as a noun:

    An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.

  3. Fair as a noun:

    An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.

  4. Fair as a noun:

    A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).