Definition of AMICABLE (original) (raw)
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Amicable comes from Latin amīcābilis, meaning "friendly," and amāre, "to feel affection for" or "to love." Amāre has a number of English descendants, including amiable ("friendly, sociable, and congenial"), amorous ("strongly moved by love and especially sexual love"), and amateur, which, though it might seem surprising, is related to amāre by way of the Latin amātor, which means "lover" as well as "enthusiastic admirer" and "devotee."
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for amicable
amicable, neighborly, friendly mean exhibiting goodwill and an absence of antagonism.
amicable implies a state of peace and a desire on the part of the parties not to quarrel.
maintained amicable relations
neighborly implies a disposition to live on good terms with others and to be helpful on principle.
friendly stresses cordiality and often warmth or intimacy of personal relations.
Examples of amicable in a Sentence
About a million couples divorce each year in the United States, and most, like my ex and me, start out striving to keep the split amicable. And though you may have good intentions, things can go awry during the traditional I-win-you-lose adversarial process. —
Annie Finnigan, Family Circle, 17 Oct. 2008 Instead, with the help of a neighborhood activist, Rob struck out in another direction. He retook his old turf from the dealers who had replaced him and opened a fruit stand and, later, a hot-dog concession. Bright, amicable and assured, Rob so impressed Anderson that the sociologist hired him as a part-time assistant. —Ellis Cose, Newsweek, 30 Aug. 1999 Cops such as William Anderson and Lowell Powell had been Sonny's friends. "I was a policeman and he was something of a thug," Powell recalled, but nonetheless their dealings were amicable. In the big picture, however, there was no love lost between Sonny and the cops. —Nick Tosches, Vanity Fair, February 1998
They reached an amicable agreement. the contract negotiations between the hotel workers and management were reasonably amicable
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Behind the scenes: The move is described as amicable, with Levy to continue serving as an advisory director. —Dan Primack, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025 Their high-profile breakup does seem fairly amicable. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025 The sisters start out on amicable terms, but after her father, Otto (Ralph Carlsoon), dies, Agnes succumbs to grief’s unpredictability. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025 Sloan’s departure from The Daily Show is reportedly amicable. —Gabriela Silva, TVLine, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for amicable 
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Late Latin amīcābilis "friendly" — more at amiable
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of amicable was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near amicable
Cite this Entry
“Amicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amicable. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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