Amiable vs Amicable both mean friendliness, BUT they’re used differently.
Amiable is friendliness, a soft nature or quality shown by a person or something that is pleasant or pleasing in some way.
Amicable suggests politeness or civility between people or groups, but not necessarily friendly. There can be a kindly feeling of approval and support or a desire not to quarrel but to settle something in a peaceful manner.
Merriam-Webster suggests using the hard “c” in amicable to indicate that amicable is harder than amiable. To also remember that peaceable (its synonym) also has a “c”.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Amiable | Amicable |
|---|---|
Friendliness is Annatsach‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — An amiable friendship. |
Sharon Matola with Junior Buddy by Abdon Tzib/Saasil Photos is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via The Washington Post. — It’s an amicable relationship between woman and jaguar. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
Having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner
Friendly
Agreeable
[Obsolete] Lovable or lovely [Archaic] Pleasing, admirable |
[Of relations between people] Having a spirit of friendliness
|
| Examples: | |
| He was an amiable, unassuming fellow.
“The lunch with Giroux has been amiable enough, but his message about the journal and its prospects is confusing” (Anastas). “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” (Ansen). “We found an amiable taxi driver, who was more than happy to take us past some of the city’s main sights” (Richter). She has a most amiable disposition. Considering we were enemies, it was an amiable greeting. For once, our family dinner was an amiable gathering. It wasn’t earth shattering, but it was an amiable comedy. “The extremely amiable counterperson doted upon some extremely well-behaved children” (Clement). “I don’t think anyone will accuse him of being amiable” (Glenesk). |
Although traffic wardens are not known for being popular, friends said Milroy was an easygoing, amicable character.
The men maintained an amicable relationship as they competed. A swift and amicable settlement to this dispute is needed now. Two decades on, Mesnel is a millionaire, albeit a very polite and amicable one, and without, it seems, a single element of ego. Though we believe we have a chance of remaining independent, we have to work together and would like to have an amicable relationship. There will be an amicable settlement of the dispute. It was an amicable divorce. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: quasi-amiable Adverb: amiably, quasi-amiably Noun: amiability, amiableness |
Noun: amicability, amicableness |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English, originally in the senses kind and lovely, lovable, via the Old French from the late Latin amicabilis meaning amicable.
The current sense, influenced by the modern French aimable meaning trying to please, dates from the mid-18th century. |
Late Middle English, in the sense pleasant, benign is applied to things. It’s from the late Latin amicabilis, from the Latin amicus meaning friend. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Amiable versus Amicable
Anastas, Benjamin. “Amiable.” The New Yorker. 1 Nov 2021. Web. 7 Dec 2021. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amiable>.
Ansen, David. “Amiable.” Newsweek. 14 Aug 2000. Web. 7 Dec 2021. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amiable>.
Apple Dictionary.com
Clement, Bethany Jean. “Best Bets for a Weekend of Dining in Vancouver, B.C.” The Seattle Times. 27 April 2017. Web. 7 Dec 2017. <https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/best-bets-for-a-weekend-of-dining-in-vancouver-bc/>.
Dictionary.com: amiable
Glesnek, Matthew. “Better Than Ezra salutes LSU Tigers.” ESPN. 5 Oct 2011. Web. 7 Dec 2021. <https://www.espn.com/espn/thelife/music/news/story?id=7064028>.
Lexico.com: amicable
Merriam-Webster. “The Ruling on ‘Amiable’ vs. ‘Amicable’.” <https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-of-amiable-vs-amicable>.
Richter, Darmon. “Welcome to the World’s Largest Ghost City: Ordos, China.” Gizmodo. 12 March 2014. Web. 7 Dec 2021. <https://gizmodo.com/welcome-to-the-worlds-largest-ghost-city-ordos-china-1541512511>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Sailors Compete in a Cardboard Boat Race During a Sailor 360 Event by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Kolme is in the public domain, via Picryl and courtesy of the US Navy.
