amity

noun

am·​i·​ty ˈa-mə-tē 

plural amities

: friendship

especially : friendly relations between nations

an era of international amity

Did you know?

The Long History of Amity

Amity comes from the Latin word for "friend," amicus, and is used especially for relationships between political leaders and nations in which goodwill is shown despite differences that might exist between the two parties. Amicus is also the root of the adjectives amiable and amicable.

Synonyms

• benevolence
• brotherhood
• charity
• cordiality
• cordialness
• fellowship
• friendliness
• friendship
• gemütlichkeit
• good-fellowship
• goodwill
• kindliness
• neighborliness

Examples of amity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As part of this distancing, Seoul promotes a narrative (as seen in its recent monuments and museums) that emphasizes Japan’s wartime violence and highlights Korean amity with China. —Jennifer Lind, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2015

Those who yearn for peace and stability, commerce and comradery, amity with our friends and neighbors? —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

In a world that could use more bipartisanship, that kind of amity is arguably a good thing. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025

By then, John had died, and a new Pope, Paul VI—the former Archbishop of Milan, Giovanni Battista Montini—had gone to Jerusalem, seeking symbolic expression of the new Catholic-Jewish amity. —Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English amyte, amiste, borrowed from Anglo-French amité, amisté (earlier and continental Old French amistet, amistiet), going back to Vulgar Latin *amīcitāt-, *amīcitās, alteration (by substitution of the suffix -itāt-, -tās -ity), of Latin amīcitia, from amīcus "friendly, well-disposed" + -itia, suffix forming nouns from adjectives, extended form of -ia -ia entry 1 — more at amiable

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for amity

• calamity

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

amity

noun

am·​i·​ty ˈam-ət-ē 

plural amities

: friendship

especially : friendly relations between nations