affable
Americanadjective
-
pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite.
an affable and courteous gentleman.
- Synonyms:
- sociable, gracious, genial, approachable, amiable, accessible
- Antonyms:
- standoffish, distant, inaccessible, unapproachable, unsociable, unfriendly
-
showing warmth and friendliness; benign; pleasant.
an affable smile.
adjective
-
showing warmth and friendliness; kindly; mild; benign
-
easy to converse with; approachable; amicable
Related Words
See civil.
Other Word Forms
- affability noun
- affableness noun
- affably adverb
- unaffable adjective
- unaffably adverb
Etymology
Origin of affable
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin affābilis “that can be spoken to, courteous,” equivalent to af- af- + fā- “speak” ( fate ) + -bilis -ble, perhaps via Middle French
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said he’s not building Skynet — the artificial intelligence that brings about the end of days in the “Terminator” films — but something similar to Jarvis, Iron Man’s affable computer assistant.
From Los Angeles Times
The men never spoke to me if there were women present, but on occasions when I was in the cab with one man, maybe two, there were affable greetings that invited conversation.
From Literature
The officer wrote that the famously affable Garrett was “kind and cooperative,” and that drugs and alcohol were not a factor.
From Los Angeles Times
Hinds, meanwhile, masterfully shows an affable partner’s emotional immobility.
From Los Angeles Times
As captured here, its members do seem quite rational, not to mention affable and easygoing.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
