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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
The feeling around the team is that Valanciunas has been amicable and cooperative about playing in Denver, despite ongoing speculation regarding his willingness to stay in the NBA after receiving a contract offer from Panathinaikos.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
That said, if bilateral trade negotiations make good progress, the U.S. might be willing to resolve the issue in a more amicable way.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
While none of the stars shared specific reasons for their departures, some online exchanges hinted that not all of the cancellations were entirely amicable.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 16 July 2025
While the abrupt departure was initially depicted as amicable, Rolling Stone later reported that behind-the-scenes tensions may have contributed to Berk’s decision.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for amicable
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Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
That said, if bilateral trade negotiations make good progress, the U.S. might be willing to resolve the issue in a more amicable way.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
While none of the stars shared specific reasons for their departures, some online exchanges hinted that not all of the cancellations were entirely amicable.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 16 July 2025
While the abrupt departure was initially depicted as amicable, Rolling Stone later reported that behind-the-scenes tensions may have contributed to Berk’s decision.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for amicable
Cite this Entry
“Amicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amicable. Accessed 5 Aug. 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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