amiable
Americanadjective
-
having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; affable.
an amiable disposition.
- Synonyms:
- gracious
- Antonyms:
- rude
-
friendly; sociable.
an amiable greeting; an amiable gathering.
- Synonyms:
- amicable
- Antonyms:
- hostile, unfriendly
-
agreeable; willing to accept the wishes, decisions, or suggestions of another or others.
-
Obsolete. lovable or lovely.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of amiable
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin amīcābilis amicable
Explanation
A friendly, pleasant person could be described as amiable. Airline flight attendants tend to be amiable. The people monitoring the school's cafeteria? Maybe not. An amiable person is good-natured and easy to get along with. Add one letter and you get amicable, a word with a common ancestor (Latin amicabilis) and a similar meaning. But while amiable refers to friendly people, amicable refers to friendly relations between them; two amiable people who no longer want to be married to one another might have an amicable divorce.
Vocabulary lists containing amiable
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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All You Need is Love: Amor and Phil
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That is no longer the case since Ravi, an amiable but steely 58-year-old Harvard graduate, became secretary of the governing board.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
The school’s new superintendent, Michael Borgschulte, an amiable lieutenant general with a Bronze Star and a pearly white set of teeth, steps onto the bandstand.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026
It takes only a moment or two for him to establish each figure’s unique traits, from the amiable to the exasperating.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
“I can afford to say no to movies I don’t respond to, even if it’s a big paycheck attached,” he says with an amiable shrug.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
Rely, therefore, on your hopes; and if these friends are good and amiable, do not despair.’
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
