amenable
adjective
-ˈme-
Erin OsmonBen BurgisEmily GeddeLorene Edwards ForknerPreval v. Reno, 57 F. Supp. 2d 307 (1999)
Did you know?
Nowadays, amenable is often used to describe someone who is favorably disposed to something, but it ultimately comes from Latin minari, meaning “to threaten.” Since the 16th century, English speakers have been using it in courtrooms and law with the meaning “answerable,” as in “citizens amenable to the law.” It later developed the meanings “suited” (“a simple function ... which is perfectly amenable to pencil-and-paper arithmetic”—Nature, April 1973) and “responsive” (as in “illnesses that are amenable to drug therapy”). It also came to be used of people with a general disposition to be agreeable—like Mr. Dick in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, who was “the most friendly and amenable creature in existence.”
Examples of amenable in a Sentence
Steven M. Zeitchik, Publishers Weekly, 14 June 1999
Some of the newer findings address a vexing flaw in the sole noninvasive screening test for detecting microscopic prostate cancer, the form most amenable to a cure.
—Marc B. Garnick et al., Scientific American, December 1998
whatever you decide to do, I'm amenable—just let me know
our normally balky cat becomes the most amenable of creatures when confronted with the strange environment of the veterinary clinic
Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025
Though the Post was amenable to publishing the inside ad, Common Cause told the paper to forget it and walked away.
—Liam Reilly, CNN, 17 Feb. 2025
That stance has unnerved Ukraine, lending a sense of urgency to Kyiv’s need to appear willing to negotiate and to be amenable to Washington’s proposals on a peace deal.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025
In cooler locations and higher elevations, plant deciduous trees and shrubs in early or late winter when soil conditions are more amenable.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amenable
Cite this Entry
“Amenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amenable. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
amenable
adjective
-ˈmen-ə-
Legal Definition
amenable
adjective
National Law Journal
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