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Meaning & use

fairweather friend

noun·Advanceddisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˌfeəweðə ˈfrend/
US/ˌferweðər ˈfrend/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. nouncountabledisapproving

    A person who is friendly when things are going well but who abandons you when you face trouble.

    Grammar: Countable: a fairweather friend, two fairweather friends.

    Patterns

    • a fairweather friend to someone

    He turned out to be a fairweather friend and vanished when I lost my job.

    I learned who my fairweather friends were when I got sick.

    Don't be a fairweather friend: stay with her through the hard times.

  2. nouncountableinformaldisapproving

    A supporter who backs a team or cause only while it is succeeding.

    Grammar: Often used for sports fans.

    Patterns

    • a fairweather friend of something

    Fairweather friends of the club left after the losing streak.

    The charity lost many fairweather friends after the scandal.

    Real fans stay; fairweather friends vanish after one defeat.

Word forms

pluralfairweather friends

Common combinations

a true friend, not a fairweather friend
She proved she was a true friend, not a fairweather friend.
turn out to be a fairweather friend
Some people turn out to be fairweather friends.
fairweather friends disappear
Fairweather friends disappear when money is tight.
rid of fairweather friends
Troubles can rid you of fairweather friends.
treat as a fairweather friend
He treated her as a fairweather friend after that.

Synonyms and how they differ

summer friend
Summer friend is a rarer variant that carries the same idea but is less established than fairweather friend.
acquaintance
An acquaintance is someone you know slightly and does not imply disloyalty.
hanger-on
A hanger-on stays near someone to gain benefit, while a fairweather friend leaves when benefits stop.
opportunist
An opportunist uses situations for gain and is a general insult, not specifically about friendship.

Opposites

true friendloyal friend

Word family

fair-weather adjective
only dependable in good conditions
friend noun
a person you like and trust
friendship noun
the relationship between friends
befriend verb
to become a friend to someone

Commonly confused: fairweather friend or fair-weather?

fairweather friend vs fair-weather

Fair-weather is the usual hyphenated adjective, as in fair-weather fans. It does not describe nice weather.

Practice

After the company failed, most of his colleagues stopped calling him; he realized they were just ___.

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