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

See Examples For:

fair-weather friend

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

I say, 'Joey, I'm not just a fair-weather friend and I don't pander to the media but sometimes I have to say it as it is.'

From The Guardian ● May 24, 2012

Could they drive a wedge between us by showing that we were a fair-weather friend whom any stress would alienate?

From New York Times, Current History, Vol 1, Issue 1 From the Beginning to March, 1915 With Index by Various