What does ‘a fair-weather friend’ mean?
To “a fair-weather friend” means to someone loyal only in good times. The image is proverbial in English by the 18th century.
Origin
- The image is proverbial in English by the 18th century.
How to use it
- Used dismissively of unreliable friends.
- Example: He turned out to be a fair-weather friend.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.