fair-haired

adjective

ˈfer-ˈherd How to pronounce fair-haired (audio)
Synonyms of fair-hairednext
: specially favored : white-headed
—used especially in the phrase fair-haired boy

Synonyms of fair-haired

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of fair-haired in a Sentence

she had been the teacher's fair-haired pupil—the one who could do no wrong
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cohn, who was a closeted gay man, was invariably attracted to what could be called über-Gentiles—tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed. — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Shnaider’s parents were concerned that the fair-haired daughter would get sunburned on the courts, but caps and visors reportedly obstructed her view. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 4 June 2026 The proud Westeros family of dragonlords have always been intent on making things bend to their (fair-haired, dragon-loving) will, even when the chips were down. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026 Unlike the legend in Shakespeare’s Hamlet — whose rejection by the Prince of Denmark sparks her unraveling — this fair-haired singing socialite will not be losing the plot. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fair-haired

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fair-haired was in 1597

Rhymes for fair-haired

See All Rhymes for fair-haired

Browse Nearby Words

fairground
fair-haired
fairies'-butter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fair-haired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair-haired. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fair-haired

Nglish: Translation of fair-haired for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All