A fork of Rural Dictionary
A friend who is only nice to you when it's convenient. Someone who's wishy-washy. Someone who is a "backstabber." Someone who abandons you in certain situations.
Every time you're with Bob, you won't hang out with me. You're such a fair-weather friend.
What most people you will meet in life are by nature. There's always something to do, a part of the world you haven't seen. There's one person who's not a fair-weather friend in your life, and that is you. There's only one person you need, there's only one you have to rely on. Yourself, everybody else needs to fuck off, period.
It's rare to find somebody who doesn't keep a few phony fair-weather friends around, but some people don't do it that way, they live how they want, they're here one time only, period.
Quite simply, a traitor who seems to be your friend when things are going well in your life, but will ditch you the second things start to look bad. Fair-weather friends are often very selfish with sociopathic elements in their personalities, and are usually on the prowl for a poor tool to take advantage of. He/she won't miss an opportunity to use someone to get something. Watch yourself, or you could be the next victim!
Once William lost his job and his house, like a fair-weather friend, Paul was quick to ditch him and look for someone else to mooch from.
a friend who only sticks by you when things are going well.
"Steve don't call me since the accident, hes a fair weather friend"
A friend who doesn't help in times of difficulty. Likely nautical in nature, referring to the fact that when weather is good nearly anyone can help on a ship.
When Tom refused to help me move after my divorce I realized that he was a fair-weather friend.
A person that is a brilliant friend while things are going well, but when the gong gets tough, the person ups and leaves.
when I was rich, Chris was such a great friend. But when I screwed up and lost everything, I never heard from him again. Chris is such a fair-weather friend.
Usually a good friend to begin with that eventually takes advantage of a true friend and does not maintain the SAME loyalty and respect. Without an explation why, a fair weather friend may abandon a friendship altogether for superficial reasons or changes in moral beliefs without a care for nurturing fair dicussion. The exception is when that person needs something, they know they can still count on an "all weather friend"
Since she's a fair-weather FRIEND, I guess that means I'm still her friend in all weather until I consider her not a friend any longer.