Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Suitable or used only during fair weather.
- adjective Present and dependable only in good times.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Existing or done in or fitted for only pleasant weather; hence, figuratively, appearing in or suited to only favorable circumstances; not capable of withstanding or outliving opposition or adversity: as, a fair-weather voyage; fair-weather friends or Christians; fair-weather kindness.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Made or done in pleasant weather, or in circumstances involving but little exposure or sacrifice.
- adjective Appearing only when times or circumstances are prosperous.
- adjective a make-believe or inexperienced sailor; -- the nautical equivalent of carpet knight.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Suitable for use only duringfair weather - adjective etc.
Dependable only in the absence of trouble.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word fair-weather.
Examples
-
They’ve proved not to be so compatible in disaster, what Mamaw would call fair-weather friends.
Some Fun Antonya Nelson 2006
-
They’ve proved not to be so compatible in disaster, what Mamaw would call fair-weather friends.
Some Fun Antonya Nelson 2006
-
They’ve proved not to be so compatible in disaster, what Mamaw would call fair-weather friends.
Some Fun Antonya Nelson 2006
-
O'Keefe's fair-weather patron, Andrew Breitbart, was among the many people who felt that O'Keefe should explain himself.
'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' Explains James O'Keefe's 'Prank' On CNN The Huffington Post News Team 2010
-
O'Keefe's fair-weather patron, Andrew Breitbart, was among the many people who felt that O'Keefe should explain himself.
'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' Explains James O'Keefe's 'Prank' On CNN The Huffington Post News Team 2010
-
The praise the Sun poured on Ed Miliband after his kneejerk demand for Mr Clarke's head may have particularly spooked Mr Cameron if he discerned that his allies at News International were revealing themselves to be fair-weather friends.
-
The praise the Sun poured on Ed Miliband after his kneejerk demand for Mr Clarke's head may have particularly spooked Mr Cameron if he discerned that his allies at News International were revealing themselves to be fair-weather friends.
-
Capital-markets liquidity turned out to be a fair-weather friend: always around in good times but nowhere to be seen once the going got tough.
'Lazy' Banks Make Sense Francesco Guerrera 2011
-
This year it was indeed a splendidly sunny day, prompting the women of Paris to move from winter coats to le trench and bringing fair-weather joggers into the parks.
The Serious Art of Gentle Exercise Lennox Morrison 2011
-
At 41, I feel alone and abandoned; parents are deceased, divorced, no children and fair-weather friends.
Patricia Benesh: Oprah and J.K. Rowling: Two Game Changers Go Heart-To-Heart Patricia Benesh 2010
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.