2021-04-30
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – amiable & amicable
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง amiable = ‘EY-mee-uh-buhl’
ออกเสียง amicable = ‘AM-i-kuh-buhl’ – noun = ‘am-i-kuh-BIL-i-tee’
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
Amiable= friendly and pleasant in temperament:
She is an amiable hostess.
Notto be confused with:
amicable = characterized by showing goodwill; peaceable:
They reached an amicable settlement.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary.
Amicable impliesbeing well disposed;
amiable isacting well disposed
and is commonly applied only to people
—though sometimes it is used for occasions,
while amicable is not applied to people at all
butto human interactions and their outcomes.
Amiable first meant "kind" or "lovely, lovable,"
and amicable firstapplied to things and meant "pleasant, benign."
See also related terms for pleasant.
Dictionary.com
“Amicable” vs. “Amiable”
The words amicable and amiable are sort of like fraternal twins.
They certainly have a lot in common,
butupon a closer look, there are differences that truly set them apart.
Admittedly though, spotting the differences between amicable and amiable even gave us pause.
First, they practically look the same and sound the same,
So, it is easyto understand how one could mix them up.
At the root, these two adjectives
both center around friendliness
and are often cited as synonyms for each other.
So, why exactly can’t you use them interchangeably?
Let’s take a closer look.
What does amicable mean?
The simple and accessibledefinition
of the adjective amicable
is“characterized by or showing goodwill; friendlyor peaceable.”
When using the word, you’d say,
“The former couple is able to have amicable conversations regularly,”
meaning this theoretical couple
has a pleasant interaction every time they speak.
Amicable can also show up
as an adverb in the form of amicably
(e.g., He amicably shook hands with every person in the room)
oras a noun as amicability or amicableness
(e.g., She handled the awkward situation with great amicability).
What does amiable mean?
When a person is friendlyor sociable,
they are considered an amiable person.
The concise definitionof the adjective amiable
means“having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; affable.”
For instance:
Her son had such a cheery and amiable disposition,
it was hard not to love him.
Shared origins
Furthering the confusionbetween
these two very similar words is the fact that
they also share etymological roots.
Both words stem fromthe Latin amicus,
which means “friend, loved one,” or “friendly, loving.”
So, what’s the difference?
If you’re keeping tally, it probably seems by now
that amicable and amiable are essentially the same word,
and you wouldn’t be totally wrong.
The differencelies in their usages.
Amicable can describe situations,
Specifically, ones that were previously strained
butare now a lot better.
For instance,
if you were describing the relationship between a divorcing couple,
you might say,
“The parents were amicable with each other around the kids.”
Amiable is used to describe one’s personality
and pertains to a disposition.
A good exampleis
She was such an amiable person,she had no trouble at all making lasting friendships.
You can be amiable in an amicable setting
and do so without being redundant.
A good way to remember
how to use these words is to think about the sounds of
the words themselves.
Amiable is a calm, flowing pronunciation,
where amicable has the hard C sound,
which you can remember applies to
conquering hard situations with dignity.
The differencesare so slight, people might not even catch your slip up
ifyou were to use these words incorrectly
… but 10 points will totally be awarded to Ravenclaw
if you do use them correctly.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for amiable
AMIABLE, GOOD-NATURED, OBLIGING, COMPLAISANT
meanhaving the desire or disposition to please.
AMIABLE implies
having qualitiesthat make one liked and easy to deal with.
an amiable teacher not easily annoyed
GOOD-NATURED implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.
a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in
OBLIGING stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.
our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room
COMPLAISANT often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.
was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
The Roots of Amiable Go Back to Love
Amiable derives from the Late Latin adjective amicabilis,
meaning"friendly," which in turn comes from the Latinword for "friend"
and can ultimately be traced back to amare, meaning "to love."
When amiable was adopted into English in the 14th century,
it meant "pleasing" or "admirable," but that sense is now obsolete.
The current, familiar senses of "generally agreeable"
("an amiable movie") and "friendly and sociable" came centuries later.
Amare has also given English speakers
such wordsas amative and amorous
(both meaning "strongly moved by love"),
amour ("a usually illicit love affair"),
and even amateur (which originally meant "admirer").
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choosethe Right Synonym for amicable
AMICABLE, NEIGHBORLY, FRIENDLY
mean exhibitinggoodwill and an absence of antagonism.
AMICABLE implies a state of peace and a desire on the part of the parties not to quarrel.
maintained amicable relations
NEIGHBORLY implies a disposition to live on good terms with others and to be helpful on principle.
neighborly concern
FRIENDLY stresses cordiality and often warmth or intimacy of personal relations.
sought friendly advice
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
What is the Difference Between
amicable, companionable, and neighborly?
Amicable,which derives from Late Latin amicabilis,
meaning"friendly," is one of a set of English words
used to suggest cordial relationships.
Amicable, neighborly, companionable, and friendly
all mean marked by or exhibiting goodwill and
an absence of antagonism.
Amicable implies
a state of peaceand a desire on the part of the parties not to quarrel
("they maintainedamicable relations";
"the amicable process of bargaining").
Neighborly implies a disposition to live on good terms with others,
particularly those who are nearby,
and to be helpful on principle ("neighborly concern").
Companionable suggests sociability and companionship
("a companionable dinner with friends").
Friendly stresses cordiality and often warmth or intimacy of personal relations ("a friendly correspondence").
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
The Rulingon 'Amiable' vs. 'Amicable'
There's a general usage rule ... and an exception.
What to Know
Amiable is an adjective
used to describe peoplewho are friendly or sociable.
It can also describe things with a pleasing quality.
Amicable on the other hand is usually used
to describe relationsor interactions that are civil or peaceable.
Your good neighbor is 'amiable,'
but your interactions with him are 'amicable.'
Despitetheir phonetic and visible orthographic difference.
amiable and amicable are often easily confused in speech and writing.
A factorthat likely causes people to mistakenly use one for the other
is that both connote friendliness in their meanings.
Although they have this similarity,
these "friendly" adjectives are applied differently.
One is used to suggest friendliness exhibited by a person,
and one is used to suggest friendliness between people or groups.
If you're unsure which adjective to use in each case, read on.
If you already have a grasp on the words, read on as a refresher
butalso consider this:
doyou know about the general rule
on using these words and which word breaks the rule?
How to Use 'Amiable' and 'Amicable'
Amiable issynonymous with the adjectives
friendly, sociable, and congenial,
words thatare commonly applied to people of such nature or disposition,
such as"an amiable host/neighbor."
Amicable is an adjective that is
used to describe things that are characterized by friendly goodwill
orthat are peaceable (not quarrelsome),
as in"amicable negotiations," "an amicable discussion/agreement,"
or "an amicable parting of ways."
As a general rule,
amiable is usually used for people
and amicable for things like relations, interactions, or situations,
and usage evidencestrongly supports this distinction.
Examplesof Mistaken Usage
When reviewing actual use of these adjectives,
we sometimes come across instances in which amiable is usedwhen amicable is called for and vice versa.
Take, for example, these quotations:
Similarly, someone may be a generally warm and amicable person
but their involuntarily furrowed brows make them appear stern and unapproachable.
— Forbes, 27 Dec. 2019
As rivals for the Democratic nod, Biden and Klobuchar maintained
an amiable relationship as they competed with similarly centrist messages.
— The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 6 May 2020
Substituting the definitions of the words
under discussion in these examples,
one can see how amiable and amicable are mistakenly used.
In the first, amicable is meant to be a modifier
equivalent to warm (meaning "friendly" or "affectionate")
butthe word does not have a synonymous or related meaning;
rather, it means "peaceable,"
which implies being politeor civil but not friendly.
Amiable is the advisable word choice.
In the secondexample,
amiable is used to modify relationship;
however, the relationshipis between competing rivals
who show one anotherapproval and support (goodwill)
buthave no evident desire to be friends or friendly.
The relationship isamicable, not amiable.
Following the person/thing rule,
the stronger phrasings, respectively, in the examples are
"a generally warmand amiable person" and
"maintained an amicable relationship as they competed."
Exceptions to the Rule
Our advice to avoid misuse is first to follow "the rule"
forusing amiable and amicable and,
when in doubt, consult our dictionary.
The ruleworks the majority of the time (the dictionary all of the time)
with one exception.
Amiable can also
describe agreeable, uncontentious, or good-natured things,
such as"an amiable comedy,"
"an amiableconversation,"
"an amiablepersonality," or
"an amiablesmile."
In this sense, it describes things that have a pleasing quality;
by contrast, things said to be amicable
tend to have a dose of unpleasantness,
as in"an amicable divorce."
In the end,
one sure thingis amicable describes an interaction orsituation
that is characterizedby a kindly feeling of approval and support
or a desire not to quarrel but settle something in a peaceful manner.
Amiable,for the most part,
describes someone who is friendly
butalso, something that is pleasant or pleasing in some way.
We leaveyou with "the rule" and its exception
along with this tipfor deciding which word to use:
if you need a word
suggestinga "soft" nature or quality, amiable is your choice;
amicable is the "harder" of the two (a notion symbolized by its hard c).
In addition, amicable is synonymous with peaceable,
which also has the letter c.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Trend Watch
Amicable
After a high-profile couple announced their separation ...
When:
Lookups on Merriam-Webster.com spiked on May 10, 2011.
Why:
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
announced that they were "amicably separating"
after 25 years of marriage.
Amicable means
"showing a polite and friendly desire
to avoid disagreementand argument."
The word traces back to the Latin amicus, meaning "friend."
Dictionary of Problem Words in English
amiable& amicable
These words are closely related in meaning;
they are derived from the same Latin word meaning “friendly.”
Amiable implies sweetness of temper, kindheartedness,
or good-natured obligingness.
Amicable has somewhat similar meanings,
but stresses the idea of being at peace, not disposed to quarrel.
“Mr. Jacks is a kindly and amiable employee.”
“All of my fellow employees are amicable.”
