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.
It does give consumers an opportunity to go, ‘OK, who was a fair-weather friend and who wasn’t?’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In response, Burnham said last week: "We are not fair-weather friends, we will be there in Ukraine's hour of need and that won't change."
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
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 ● Jun. 5, 2024
The closure of the two-lane swing bridge also shuts down the walk-bike trail, which carries roughly 1,000 daily travelers on fair-weather days.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
