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Prepositions after adjectives

fair to or fair in

Fair is usually followed by to when talking about treatment of people. Fair in is less common and refers to behaviour within an activity or process.

Quick answer

Fair to vs. fair in

Use fair to someone to describe just or reasonable treatment. Use fair in something when referring to behaviour within a situation, game, process, or judgement.

The teacher was fair to every student.
Both sides must be fair in negotiations.
Try to be fair to yourself.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
fair to + person/group

Treating someone justly

This is the most common and standard pattern.

The rules are fair to employees.
She has always been fair to her children.
2
fair in + activity/process

Acting justly within a situation

Use in to describe fairness during a process or activity.

Judges must be fair in their decisions.
3
fair to say + clause

Introducing a reasonable conclusion

Fair to say means reasonable or accurate to state.

It is fair to say the project succeeded.
4
fair on + person

Describing impact on someone

Fair on is used mainly in questions about whether something is reasonable for a person.

Is it fair on the staff to change the schedule now?

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
fair to
The company was fair to its workers.
treating someone justly
fair in
He was fair in judging the competition.
acting justly within an activity
fair to say
It is fair to say we were surprised.
reasonable to state
fair on
That is not fair on the children.
reasonable or acceptable for someone

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using in for the person affected

Use to with people receiving treatment.

✕ The coach was fair in the players. ✓ The coach was fair to the players.

Confusing fair to and fair in

To refers to treatment of people. In refers to conduct within a situation.

✓ She was fair to her team and fair in her decisions.

Omitting the preposition after fair

Fair often needs a preposition when a person follows.

✕ The policy is fair everyone. ✓ The policy is fair to everyone.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The judge was fair ___ both sides.
2. Officials must be fair ___ applying the rules.
3. It is fair ___ say that sales improved.

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Frequently asked questions

Is fair to more common than fair in?

Yes. Fair to is the standard pattern for treatment of people.

Can fair in describe behaviour?

Yes. It describes acting fairly within an activity, process, or judgement.

Can I say fair with someone?

Fair with exists in some contexts, such as fair with customers, but fair to is usually more natural for treatment.

face-to-face-with-in-at-for, to faithful to, in, of, with or for? falling of, in, out, into or off? "false in" or "false to"? famed for, as, in or throughout? familiar with, to, from or in? famous for, in, of, by or as? fanatical about, in, as, for or of? "fantastic for" or "fantastic in"? far from, in, to, for or with? fascinating to, about, in, for or as? "fashionable in" or "fashionable for"?

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