to be fair
Granting the counterpoint
To be fair is a phrase that introduces a point of balance or concession, acknowledging something that complicates or softens a previous statement: She's always late, but to be fair, she does have a long commute.
It signals the speaker is trying to give a more complete picture rather than a one-sided judgment.
Sometimes used ironically when the "fairness" is strained: To be fair, he did warn us he was terrible at this.
- even-handedTreating parties without bias
- equitableJust and unbiased
- admittedlyBy one's own acknowledgment
- to be sureConceding a point
- balancedIn a state of equilibrium
just · reasonable · objective · granted · concession · acknowledgment · impartial · unbiased · devil's advocate · to be frank · having said that · on second thought · honesty · framing · perspective · neutral · hedging · open-minded
- fairnessjustice, impartiality, equity, equal opportunity, equal treatment
- evasionsno comment, dodge, deflection, hedging, equivocation
- excusesexcuse, not my fault, overslept, alibi, excuses
- filler phrasesum, uh, like, you know, I mean
- interjectionsah, hey, aha, sheesh, oh
- conjunctionsand, but, or, for, nor
to be fairfrankly
Without concealment or evasion
let's face it · make no mistake · to be honest · in all honesty · to tell the truth
fair, being, unfair, fairness, fairly, fairs, unfairness, fair-minded, fairground