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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
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
Talk about keeping the divorce as amicable as possible.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 26 Dec. 2024
The change has been described as very amicable, with Gill understanding of the wider cost-cutting regime.
—Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
Congress must come to an amicable agreement by Friday in order to keep the government funded ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration in January.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2024
Since then, Christina and Anstead's relationship has become more amicable, and the exes are now following each other again on Instagram.
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—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for amicable 
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Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 26 Dec. 2024
The change has been described as very amicable, with Gill understanding of the wider cost-cutting regime.
—Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
Congress must come to an amicable agreement by Friday in order to keep the government funded ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration in January.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 18 Dec. 2024
Since then, Christina and Anstead's relationship has become more amicable, and the exes are now following each other again on Instagram.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING?
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for amicable
Articles Related to amicable
Dictionary Entries Near amicable
Cite this Entry
“Amicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amicable. Accessed 5 Jan. 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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