weathervane
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈwɛðərˌveɪn/
- Offensive
:
veleta (informal, despectivo)
- His old problem (stretching back for years) was that he was perceived as being "weathervane Mitt" who'd say anything to get elected; essentially the Kerry Massachusetts flip-flop problem writ Republican.
Examples
-
I've been getting a vibe that the Villagers are a little relieved that the election results mean that even they don't have to keep ignoring the Tea Party crazy now, if Joe Scar is what still passes for a Republican establishment weathervane.
Blog text (28) -
Willard seems to be a human weathervane.
Blog text (15) -
I was beginning to think your heart was a weathervane blowing in another direction, she said, which he flatly denied.
Fiction book (2001) -
It was Jon Huntsman who described Romney as a well-oiled weathervane.
Blog text (34) -
He's trying to be a sort of Schrödinger's quantum politician, simultaneously a right-wing believer and a craven weathervane at the same time.
Blog text (13) -
Many politicians today are seen as weathervanes, changing their stances to follow public opinion.
-
In discussions about policy, he often acts like a weathervane, shifting his views based on what is popular.
-
They called her a weathervane because she often switched her opinions to align with current trends.
Synonyms
18
6.6
A person who changes how they act or what they believe to fit in with different people
1
8.6
A person who often changes their opinions or public image to fit different situations
A person who quickly joins whatever is popular to fit in
A person who often cannot decide and changes their mind
Antonyms
How Fickle
- Offensive
13
8.2
27
5.9
- Offensive
1
7.2
- Informal
2
6.8
817
1.0
12
7.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Weathervane comes from the roof device: vane means 'a piece that turns in the wind', so a person called a weathervane is someone who 'changes' their views to follow whatever is popular.