weather vane
/ˈwɛð.ɚ veɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A mechanical device rotating around one axis and attached to an elevated object such as a roof for showing the direction of the wind.
noun
A person or organization that changes their attitude and position based on the prevailing conditions rather than displaying any conviction.
Example Sentences
- "From the graveyard gate one can count a dozen gayly painted farmhouses; the gilded weather-vanes on the big red barns wink at each other across the green and brown and yellow fields."
- "This one is surmounted by a clock-tower with a bent weather-vane - the latter being the only disorderly object in sight."
- "Since Elaine Showalter's 1985 article on the topic, Ophelia has been singled out as a role that depends for its power on the expression of female sexual desire, and, because of this, one that acts as a weather vane for attitudes towards women's sexuality."
- "Possibly though the best weather vane of the shippers' condition is the attitude of the mill trade as a whole toward present laxness in new orders."
- "But since this measure involves comparing the private judgments of different sets of teachers, it is less reliable as a weather vane of achievement than the results of standardized tests."
- "The man who changes with every wind of doctrine is not a thinker but a weather vane."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈwɛð.ɚ veɪn/
- British English: /ˈwɛð.ə veɪn/