amiable
adjective
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The Roots of Amiable Go Back to Love
Amiable has its roots in amīcus the Latin word for "friend," and can ultimately be traced back to the verb amare, meaning "to love." English has been friendly with amiable since the 14th century, at which time it meant "pleasing" or "admirable" (a sense that is now obsolete). The current, familiar senses of "generally agreeable" and "friendly and sociable" came centuries later. Amare has also given English speakers such words as amative and amorous (both meaning "strongly moved by love"), amour ("a usually illicit love affair"), and even amateur (which originally meant "admirer"). And that’s just the tip of the amare iceberg: its influence on Romance languages is nothing short of integral. The Spanish word for "friendship" is amistad, the French word for "friend" is ami, and the Italian word for "love"? That’s amore.
Synonyms
Examples of amiable in a Sentence
Denis Johnson, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2000
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.
—David Ansen, Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2000
The book pivots around Molly Bonner, an amiable, 40-ish woman whose second husband has just died in a helicopter accident, leaving her grief-struck and rich.
—Tad Friend, Vogue, March 1997
Gianni Versace is an amiable smoothy with a light touch and a corona of gray hair.
—Marie Brenner, Vanity Fair, January 1997
Everyone knew him as an amiable fellow.
She had an amiable conversation with her friend.
Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
There’s a nice thread of That Christmas that eventually focuses on a budding friendship between Danny and his neighbor and teacher Ms. Trapper (Fiona Shaw), a cantankerous woman who makes the Grinch seem amiable.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024
First appearing in episode 2106, which airs Nov. 7, Bush will play Dr. Cass Beckman, an amiable, fun and a little messy around the edges trauma surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian whose husband David Beckman is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024
Especially Kahle, whose silver curls catch the sun and who preaches his gospel with an amiable evangelism, speaking with his hands and laughing easily.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Amiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amiable. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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amiable
adjective
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