fair-weather friend

Cultural  

1. A friend who supports others only when it is easy and convenient to do so: “I thought Gene would always stick by me, but when I got into trouble, he turned out to be a fair-weather friend.”

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fair-weather friend Idioms  

1. A person who is dependable in good times but is not in times of trouble. For example, You can't rely on Sarah—she's strictly a fair-weather friend. This expression likens fair weather to good times. [Early 1700s]

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Example Sentences

Accepting differences also shows that you aren’t a fair-weather friend, she says, but someone who is going to be there if you need them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

If a fair-weather friend is someone who only comes around when things are good, a bad-weather friend is someone you can depend on when things take a turn for the worse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2024

McConnell, unlike Ryan, has not been saddled with a reputation as a fair-weather friend.

From Washington Post • May 6, 2017

Britain has been, to put it a little unkindly, its fair-weather friend.

From The Guardian • Jun. 24, 2016

Arabella's coffin is next to that of Prince Henry, her cousin and fair-weather friend, but he made no effort to save her from the consequences of his royal father, James the First's wrath.

From Westminster Abbey by Fulleylove, John