fair-weather
Americanadjective
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used in or intended for fair weather only.
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weakening or failing in time of trouble.
His fair-weather friends left him when he lost his money.
adjective
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suitable for use in fair weather only
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not reliable or present in situations of hardship or difficulty (esp in the phrase fair-weather friend )
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.
This tectonic shift signals not a new betrayal of queer folk but a reinforcement of the fundamental relationship between Western society and non-hetero life — a hot/cold union of creative thrill-seeking and fair-weather fascination that can best be captured by a single image from Bob Fosse’s 1972 musical film “Cabaret.”
From Salon
Is F1 a fair-weather sport now?
From BBC
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
“I don’t know if I’d call her a fair-weather fan, but she doesn’t live and die with the team as I have,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
Now, I get it: I love this show personally and cover it professionally, so I have a vested interest in it that sometimes goes beyond what more casual or fair-weather viewers might think of it.
From Salon
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.
