Amicable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæmɪkÉ™bl/

Origin

From Late Latin amīcābilis ("friendly"); see amiable.

Full definition of amicable

Adjective

1. Showing friendliness or goodwill.They hoped to reach an amicable agreement.He was an amicable fellow with an easy smile.

Usage notes

Amicable is particularly used of relationships or agreements (especially legal proceedings, such as divorce), with meaning ranging from simply “not quarrelsome, mutually consenting” to “quite friendly”. By contrast, the similar term amiable is especially used to mean “pleasant, lovable”, such as an “amiable smile”.

The Penguin Wordmaster Dictionary, Martin Manser and Nigel Turton, eds., 1987, cited in “Wordmaster: amiable, amicable”, all songs lead back t' the sea, 23 Oct 2009, by NTWrong

Derived terms

• amicability
• amicableness
• amicable number
• amicably

Related terms

• amiable
• amity