amicable

English

Etymology

From Middle English amicable (“agreeable; pleasant”), from Late Latin amīcābilis (“friendly”). Doublet of amiable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ.mɪ.kə.bəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

amicable (comparative more amicable, superlative most amicable)

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”.

Antonyms

• inimical

Derived terms

• amicability
• amicableness
• amicable number
• amicable suit
• amicably

 

Related terms

• amiable
• amity

Translations

showing friendliness or goodwill

• Bulgarian: дружелюбен (bg) (druželjuben), приятелски (bg) (prijatelski)
• Catalan: amigable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 友好 (zh) (yǒuhǎo), 藹然 / 蔼然 (zh) (ǎirán), (formal) 友善 (zh) (yǒushàn)

• Czech: přátelský (cs)
• Danish: venskabelig, fredelig (da)
• Dutch: goedhartig (nl), vriendelijk (nl)
• Finnish: sovinnollinen (fi), sopuisa, ystävällinen (fi)
• French: amiable (fr) (agreement), amical (fr) (person)
• Galician: amigábel (gl)
• German: einvernehmlich (de) (agreement), freundlich (de) (person), freundschaftlich (de) (agreement, discussion, gesture), gütlich (de) (settlement), liebenswürdig (de) (person)
• Greek:

  Ancient: εὔκολος (eúkolos)

• Hebrew: מאיר פנים
• Indonesian: ramah tamah (id)
• Latin: amīcus (la)
• Malay: sosial (ms)
• Polish: przyjazny (pl)
• Portuguese: amigável (pt)
• Romanian: amabil (ro)
• Russian: дружелю́бный (ru) (druželjúbnyj)
• Spanish: amigable (es), amistoso (es), cordial (es)
• Tagalog: mapayapa

Further reading

• “amicable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “amicable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “amicable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.