amicable

amicable
amicable, neighborly, friendly are applied to the attitudes and actions of persons, communities, and states that have intercourse with each other and mean marked by or exhibiting goodwill or absence of antagonism.
Amicable frequently implies little more than that the parties concerned are not disposed to quarrel or are at peace with each other
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an amicable adjustment

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the sometimes amicable processes of bargaining between a federation of employers and a trade union— Hobson

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Neighborly sometimes suggests goodwill and kindliness and a disposition to live on good terms with those with whom one must associate because of their proximity
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the only encirclement sought is the encircling bond of good old-fashioned neighborly friendship— Roosevelt

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Very often, however, because of connotations acquired from scriptural uses of neighbor, especially in the parable of the Good Samaritan (“which now of these three . . . was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? ”) it implies the duty of helpfulness and the spirit of fellowship
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he hath a neighborly charity in him— Shak.

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he in a very neighborly manner admonished meSwift

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Friendly is more positive in its implications of cordiality than either of the others and often suggests greater warmth of feeling
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a friendly nod

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a friendly call

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their relations are friendly

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a friendly correspondence as neighbors and old acquaintances— Franklin

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Analogous words: peaceful, *pacific, peaceable: harmonious, concordant, accordant (see corresponding nouns at HARMONY): *social, gregarious, cooperative, hospitable
Antonyms: antagonistic
Contrasted words: quarrelsome, contentious, *belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious, combative: hostile, antipathetic (see corresponding nouns at ENMITY)

New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.

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  • Amicable — Am i*ca*ble, a. [L. amicabilis, fr. amicus friend, fr. amare to love. See {Amiable}.] Friendly; proceeding from, or exhibiting, friendliness; after the manner of friends; peaceable; as, an amicable disposition, or arrangement. [1913 Webster] That …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • amicable — UK US /ˈæmɪkəbl/ adjective ► pleasant and friendly, often despite a difficult situation: »His manner was perfectly amicable but I felt uncomfortable. »an amicable debate ► an amicable agreement is achieved without arguments or anger: an amicable… …   Financial and business terms

  • amicable — [am′i kə bəl] adj. [LL amicabilis: see AMIABLE] friendly in feeling; showing good will; peaceable [an amicable discussion] amicability [am′i kəbil′ə tē] n. amicably adv …   English World dictionary

  • amicable — I adjective affable, amiable, cordial, friendly, genial, harmonious, sociable, unhostile II index benevolent, harmonious, nonmilitant, peaceable …   Law dictionary

  • amicable — (adj.) early 15c., from L.L. amicabilis friendly, a word in Roman law, from L. amicus friend, related to amare to love (see AMY (Cf. Amy)). Cf. also AMIABLE (Cf. amiable) …   Etymology dictionary

  • amicable — [adj] friendly, especially regarding an agreement accordant, agreeing, amiable, civil, clubby*, concordant, cordial, courteous, cozy, empathic, good humored, harmonious, kind, kindly, like minded, mellow, neighborly, pacific, peaceable, peaceful …   New thesaurus

  • amicable — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ friendly and without disagreement. DERIVATIVES amicably adverb. ORIGIN Latin amicabilis, from amicus friend …   English terms dictionary

  • amicable — am|i|ca|ble [ˈæmıkəbəl] adj [Date: 1400 1500; : Late Latin; Origin: amicablis, from amicus friend ] an amicable agreement, relationship etc is one in which people feel friendly towards each other and do not want to quarrel ▪ Their relationship… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • amicable — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin amicabilis Date: 15th century characterized by friendly goodwill ; peaceable • amicability noun • amicableness noun • amicably …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • amicable — [[t]æ̱mɪkəb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED When people have an amicable relationship, they are pleasant to each other and solve their problems without quarrelling. The meeting ended on reasonably amicable terms... Our discussions were amicable and… …   English dictionary

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