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. If you found this post on “Amiable versus Amicable” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates. Return to top Amiable Amicable Friendliness is […]