1 amiability | Definition of amiability
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amiable

adjective
ami·​a·​ble | \ ˈā-mē-ə-bəl How to pronounce amiable (audio) \

Definition of amiable

1a : friendly, sociable, and congenial an amiable host amiable neighbors
b : generally agreeable an amiable comedy
2 archaic : pleasing, admirable
Other Words from amiable Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Roots of Amiable Go Back to Love More Example Sentences Learn More about amiable

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Other Words from amiable

amiability \ ˌā-​mē-​ə-​ˈbi-​lə-​tē How to pronounce amiability (audio) \ noun
amiableness \ ˈā-​mē-​ə-​bəl-​nəs How to pronounce amiableness (audio) \ noun
amiably \ -​blē How to pronounce amiably (audio) \ adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for amiable

amiable, good-natured, obliging, complaisant mean having the desire or disposition to please. amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with. an amiable teacher not easily annoyed good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon. a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful. our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness. was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

The Roots of Amiable Go Back to Love

Amiable derives from the Late Latin adjective amicabilis, meaning "friendly," which in turn comes from the Latin word for "friend" and can ultimately be traced back to amare, meaning "to love." When amiable was adopted into English in the 14th century, it meant "pleasing" or "admirable," but that sense is now obsolete. The current, familiar senses of "generally agreeable" ("an amiable movie") and "friendly and sociable" came centuries later. Amare has also given English speakers such words as amative and amorous (both meaning "strongly moved by love"), amour ("a usually illicit love affair"), and even amateur (which originally meant "admirer").

Examples of amiable in a Sentence

… an amiable man, a gray-headed, fiftyish, good old boy with a long career in media and public relations, and a hellish taste for margaritas … — Denis Johnson, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2000 These strained plot contortions aren't really necessary: the funny, amiable heart of the movie is in the scenes of these tough old duffers scamming their way through the training program. — David Ansen, Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2000 The book pivots around Molly Bonner, an amiable, 40-ish woman whose second husband has just died in a helicopter accident, leaving her grief-struck and rich. — Tad Friend, Vogue, March 1997 Gianni Versace is an amiable smoothy with a light touch and a corona of gray hair. — Marie Brenner, Vanity Fair, January 1997 Everyone knew him as an amiable fellow. She had an amiable conversation with her friend.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Tobias is amiable in person, if highly guarded, and chain-smokes roll-up cigarettes. — Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, "The Black Axe," 19 Aug. 2019 In Fisch’s hands, the brief Allegretto was as amiable as can be. — cleveland.com, "Familiar works enjoy new life on revelatory night with Cleveland Orchestra," 12 Aug. 2019 Bryan is a patient decorator with guitar, never overpowering an arrangement, and as a rhythm section, Felber and Sonefeld are insistent but amiable. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, "Hootie & the Blowfish, Great American Rock Band (Yes, Really)," 6 June 2019 An amiable, small-town Everyman is inexplicably transformed into a genius with telekinetic powers. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 All sorts of dreaded scenarios enter your mind, but the sight of Krukow — the amiable, generous host, wielding his trusty cane — brought home a far broader picture. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "Giants announcer Mike Krukow leans on his service dog, Patriot, for support," 5 July 2019 Her manager, Chris Crowley, an amiable young guy wearing overalls and a beanie, asked if anyone needed anything from the guitar store. — Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, "On the Road with Mitski," 1 July 2019 Progressives pointed to Hurd’s votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and in favor of a deficit-busting 2017 GOP tax cut and branded his record as the amiable face of Trumpism. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Hurd walked a thin line in his congressional swing district," 3 Aug. 2019 Next April is the best month to make significant decisions, start new business projects and to form amiable business and romantic partnerships. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for July 12, 2019: Libra, keep your focus on your own life; Capricorn, put business matters on the back burner," 12 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amiable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of amiable

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for amiable

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin amicabilis friendly, from Latin amicus friend; akin to Latin amare to love

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More Definitions for amiable

amiable

adjective
How to pronounce amiable (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of amiable

: friendly and pleasant

See the full definition for amiable in the English Language Learners Dictionary

amiable

adjective
ami·​a·​ble | \ ˈā-mē-ə-bəl How to pronounce amiable (audio) \

Kids Definition of amiable

: having a friendly and pleasant manner

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