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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
Despite their divorce, Andrew and Sarah remained amicable, coparenting daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as well as continuing to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools have also waded into the recent controversies surrounding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, often hostile to the former and, at times, amicable toward the latter.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
This has led to an amicable end of Lockett's contract, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who further detailed that Lockett can officially sign with another team as soon as Wednesday night.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
But in December 2024, Ayala’s wife of nearly 30 years filed for divorce, and an initially amicable split turned sour amid a spate of legal disputes over his many businesses and assets, including his past catalog negotiations.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amicable
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Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools have also waded into the recent controversies surrounding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, often hostile to the former and, at times, amicable toward the latter.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
This has led to an amicable end of Lockett's contract, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who further detailed that Lockett can officially sign with another team as soon as Wednesday night.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
But in December 2024, Ayala’s wife of nearly 30 years filed for divorce, and an initially amicable split turned sour amid a spate of legal disputes over his many businesses and assets, including his past catalog negotiations.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 15 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 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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