amiable

adjective ami·a·ble \ ˈā-mē-ə-bəl \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: amiable in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Roots of amiable Go Back to Love

Definition of amiable

1 a : friendly, sociable, and congenial

an amiable host

amiable neighbors

b : generally agreeable

an amiable comedy

2 archaic : pleasing, admirable

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amiability

play \ˌā-mē-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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amiableness

play \ˈā-mē-ə-bəl-nəs\ noun

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amiably

play \-blē\ adverb

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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.

Recent Examples of amiable from the Web

As directed by Megan Nicole O’Brien, Big Red Sun’s schematic and awkward book (by John Jiler, who also wrote the serviceable lyrics) is mostly an excuse for composer Georgia Stitt’s amiable ramble through 20th-century American musical styles.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Big Red Sun': Search through history and music for truth about father, self," 5 June 2018
Our weeknight visit got off to a good start with quick, amiable attention from the host and equally welcoming attention from the server.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "A dessert disguised as a potted plant, and more surprises at Blair's on Hudson," 30 May 2018
The North, whose third-generation dynastic leader showed an amiable side during the summit last month with Moon, had seemed willing — to the surprise of many observers — to discuss its nuclear program.

— matt stiles, latimes.com, "South Korea's President Moon heads for Washington to help keep Kim and Trump summit alive," 21 May 2018
With his kind face, intelligent gaze, and ready smile, Francis is an amiable and compelling figure.

— wim wenders, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Pope Francis: A Man of His Word,’ a Religious Leader Speaks at Length," 17 May 2018
In North Dakota, Heitkamp is reprising a jocular spot of her six siblings teasing her about laundry duty, aimed at casting the former state attorney general and petroleum lawyer as the amiable woman next door.

— CBS News, "Democrats in tough reelection battles distance themselves from Washington," 11 May 2018
Termote is a compact, broad-chested man, soft-spoken and amiable.

— joshua levine, Smithsonian, "The Hunt for the Notorious U-Boat UB-29," 19 Apr. 2018
Even on the phone, even running a few minutes late, his amiable, earnest personality bubbles through.

— jourdan rodrigue, charlotteobserver, "Deacons safety matches the Panthers' needs. But his draft stock is rising rapidly. | Charlotte Observer," 19 Apr. 2018
The amiable actors — Aubie Merrylees, Aundria Brown, Kahlil Garcia and Sam Massaro — roam freely about the theater, mingling with spectators in the auditorium as well as on the stage, where for certain sections, a portion of the audience is seated.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and Shaw's 'Saint Joan': A marathon for four actors, and the audience," 9 Apr. 2018

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.

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").

Origin and Etymology of amiable

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

amiable Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.