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Synonyms

fair-weather

American  
[fair-weth-er] / ˈfɛərˌwɛð ər /

adjective

  1. used in or intended for fair weather only.

  2. weakening or failing in time of trouble.

    His fair-weather friends left him when he lost his money.
fair-weather British  

adjective

  1. suitable for use in fair weather only

  2. not reliable or present in situations of hardship or difficulty (esp in the phrase fair-weather friend )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fair-weather

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Andy Serwer, a fair-weather fan of the Commanders and their previously named incarnations, is editor at large at Barron’s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

But Sunak gamely stuck it out, later commenting that he was "not a fair-weather politician" and confirming he'd be taking an umbrella on the campaign trail.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

And, of course, there are always those fair-weather fans who pop up when their local team is succeeding.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2024

They are not what most of us would call "true" friends, but are instead more like fair-weather companions who take what they can and leave when it suits them.

From Salon • May 29, 2023

Chup led Frightful higher and higher, to the misty bottom of a fair-weather cumulus cloud.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.