amity
1 Americannoun
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friendship; peaceful harmony.
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mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord.
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of amity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English amit(i)e, from Middle French amitie, Old French amiste(t), from unattested Vulgar Latin amicitāt-, stem of amīcitās, derivative of Latin amīcus; ami, amiable, -ity
Explanation
The word amity refers to a peaceful, friendly nature, much like the French word ami, or "friend." From the Latin amicus, "friend," amity means "friendly relations." That strong sense of friendship lends irony to the name of the book, and later the movie, called The Amityville Horror, about a horrifying town with a weirdly cheerful name. In truth, though, amity means "mutual understanding and peace." Wouldn't it be nice if all of the world's nations lived in amity?
Vocabulary lists containing amity
All You Need is Love: Amor and Phil
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
More amity in Abu Dhabi is planned for Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
There is a hope for a return to the amity seen at the 2021 COP meeting, where they announced a surprise joint agreement to accelerate emissions reductions.
From BBC • Jul. 15, 2023
Wickremesinghe has since cracked down on protests and sought amity among political parties, saying only an all-party government can solve the country’s problems.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2022
As in the original, they vacillate between amity, disdain and physical outbursts in the same episode.
From Salon • Sep. 12, 2021
I was thankful there was this spirit of amity; we were neither of us anxious to engage in futile disputes.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
