Amiable and amicable both suggest friendliness, which is why they are easy to confuse. The key difference is what they describe.
Use amiable for a person, or sometimes a person’s manner. It means pleasant, good natured, and friendly. You are describing someone’s personality or behavior.
Example: She gave an amiable smile and welcomed everyone in.
Use amicable for relationships, discussions, agreements, or outcomes. It means polite, cooperative, and free from hostility. You are not describing a person’s personality directly. You are describing how people relate to each other or how something is resolved.
Example: The neighbors reached an amicable agreement about the fence.
- Amiable: friendly person or manner
- Amicable: friendly relationship, discussion, or settlement
A simple memory trick helps: amiable is often about a person being nice, while amicable is often about people getting along nicely.