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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."
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
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
Her split with Trump Jr. was initially described as amicable, though later reports indicated tensions over financial issues and Trump Jr.'s political activities.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Everything seems amicable, but of course, there’s more to come.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 18 Feb. 2025
The German city and the legal heirs of the painting, which once belonged to the Jewish shoe manufacturer Alfred Hess, were able to come to an amicable solution for the restitution and then repurchase of the Expressionist painting, which is one of the museum’s most precious holdings.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Jorge Perez, of the Related Group, a partner of Ross until the two had an amicable split several years ago, is building multiple projects around the county including a Ritz-Carlton Residences in West Palm Beach.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2025
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Everything seems amicable, but of course, there’s more to come.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 18 Feb. 2025
The German city and the legal heirs of the painting, which once belonged to the Jewish shoe manufacturer Alfred Hess, were able to come to an amicable solution for the restitution and then repurchase of the Expressionist painting, which is one of the museum’s most precious holdings.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Jorge Perez, of the Related Group, a partner of Ross until the two had an amicable split several years ago, is building multiple projects around the county including a Ritz-Carlton Residences in West Palm Beach.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amicable
Articles Related to amicable
Cite this Entry
“Amicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amicable. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
amicable
adjective
am·i·ca·ble
ˈam-i-kə-bəl 
: showing kindness or goodwill : peaceable
neighbors maintaining amicable relations
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