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Webster 1913 Edition
Amicable
Am′i-ca-ble
,Adj.
Friendly; proceeding from, or exhibiting, friendliness; after the manner of friends; peaceable;
as, an
. amicable
disposition, or arrangementThat which was most remarkable in this contest was . . . the
amicable
manner in which it was managed. Prideoux.
Amicable action
(Law.)
, an action commenced and prosecuted by amicable consent of the parties, for the purpose of obtaining a decision of the court on some matter of law involved in it.
Bouvier.
Burrill.
– Amicable numbers
(Math.)
, two numbers, each of which is equal to the sum of all the aliquot parts of the other.
Syn. – Friendly; peaceable; kind; harmonious.
–
Amicable
, Friendly
. Neither of these words denotes any great warmth of affection, since friendly has by no means the same strength as its noun friendship. It does, however, imply something of real cordiality; while amicable supposes very little more than that the parties referred to are not disposed to quarrel. Hence, we speak of amicable relations between two countries, an amicable adjustment of difficulties. “Those who entertain friendly feelings toward each other can live amicably together.” Webster 1828 Edition
Amicable
AM'ICABLE
,Adj.
1.
Friendly; peaceable; harmonious in social or mutual transactions; usually applied to the dispositions of men who have business with each other, or to their intercourse and transactions; as, nations or men have come to an amicable adjustment of their differences.2.
Disposed to peace and friendship; as, an amicable temper. [But rarely applied to a single person.]Definition 2024
amicable
amicable
English
Adjective
amicable (comparative more amicable, superlative most amicable)
- Showing friendliness or goodwill.
- They hoped to reach an amicable agreement.
- He was an amicable fellow with an easy smile.
Usage notes
Amicable is particularly used of relationships or agreements (especially legal proceedings, such as divorce), with meaning ranging from simply “not quarrelsome, mutually consenting” to “quite friendly”. By contrast, the similar term amiable is especially used to mean “pleasant, lovable”, such as an “amiable smile”.[1]
Derived terms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
showing friendliness or goodwill
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References
- ↑ The Penguin Wordmaster Dictionary, Martin Manser and Nigel Turton, eds., 1987, cited in “Wordmaster: amiable, amicable”, all songs lead back t' the sea, 23 Oct 2009, by NTWrong