The Grammar Guide Spelling What is the difference between "amiable" and "amicable"?

What is the difference between "amiable" and "amicable"?

What is the difference between "amiable" and "amicable"?

Amiable refers to an individual person's friendly disposition. e.g. Sarah is a kind, amiable soul who gets along with everyone.

Amicable pertains to friendliness or benevolence between two or more people or groups. e.g. The meeting between union and management was quite amicable, much to our surprise.

Thus, the union meeting was amicable because the participants were amiable.

Think you know your "amicable" from your "amiable"? Test your knowledge in our quiz!

Test yourself

Choose the missing word in each question.