amicable

adjective

am·​i·​ca·​ble ˈa-mi-kə-bəl 

: characterized by friendly goodwill : peaceable

amicable relations/discussions

an amicable agreement

amicability

ˌa-mi-kə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

amicableness

ˈa-mi-kə-bəl-nəs 

noun

amicably

ˈa-mi-kə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

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 of amicable

• compatible
• unanimous

Choose the Right Synonym for amicable

amicable, neighborly, friendly mean exhibiting goodwill and an absence of antagonism.

amicable implies a state of peace and a desire on the part of the parties not to quarrel.

maintained amicable relations

neighborly implies a disposition to live on good terms with others and to be helpful on principle.

neighborly concern

friendly stresses cordiality and often warmth or intimacy of personal relations.

sought friendly advice

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

Recent Examples on the Web

But their amicable split takes an unexpected turn when Freddy’s parents, Marty (Greg Kinnear) and Julie (Andie MacDowell), and Cleo’s mother, Rose, surprise them with the honeymoon of their dreams in Italy. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2026

Christian’s only complaint was the HW-Q990F’s staggering price tag, which is made much more amicable by this $832 discount right now. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

The Ravens and Jackson were amicable in public after reaching a deal, but it's always been hard to tell how much contract talks affect him. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

After an amicable, but necessary split with LeBron James, who has taken his talents to Philadelphia, the Lakers are entirely Doncic’s team. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Late Latin amīcābilis "friendly" — more at amiable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

amicable

adjective

am·​i·​ca·​ble ˈam-i-kə-bəl 

: showing kindness or goodwill : peaceable

neighbors maintaining amicable relations

amicability

ˌam-i-kə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

amicably

ˈam-i-kə-blē 

adverb