fair-weather friends
Unreliable social allies
Fair-weather friends are people who remain friendly only when things are going well.
The term comes from fair weather—pleasant conditions for sailing or being outdoors.
These friends disappear during hardship, trouble, or inconvenience: When I lost my job, I discovered who my fair-weather friends were.
The phrase implies superficiality and unreliability in relationships.
- acquaintancePerson slightly known
- unreliableNot consistently performing
- superficialLacking depth or substance
- associateConnect mentally or socially
- allySupportive partner
companion · selfishness · fickleness · true colors · abandonment · supporters · transient · colleague · social climbing · convenience · opportunism · sunny days · hardship · backers · adversity · crisis · insincerity · partner
- social tiespals, buddies, mates, companions, chums
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
- friendship conceptsloyalty, trust, companionship, mutual respect, empathy
fair-weather friendslifelong friends
Companions since childhood onward
bosom friends · fast friends · blood brothers · battle buddies · kindred spirits
fair-weather friendssoulmates
Ideal romantic matches
best friends · close friends · confidants · kindred spirits · bosom buddies
fairer, fairest, fairly, fairness, unfair, unfairly, weather, weathers, weathered