affable

[ af-uh-buh l ]

/ ˈæf ə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR affable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite: an affable and courteous gentleman.

showing warmth and friendliness; benign; pleasant: an affable smile.

Nearby words

afeard, afebrile, afetal, aff, aff., affable, affair, affaire, affaire d'amour, affaire d'honneur, affaire de coeur

Origin of affable

1530–40; < Latin affābilis that can be spoken to, courteous, equivalent to af- af- + fā- speak (see fate) + -bilis -ble, perhaps via Middle French

Related forms

af·fa·bil·i·ty, af·fa·ble·ness, nounaf·fa·bly, adverbun·af·fa·ble, adjectiveun·af·fa·ble·ness, noun

un·af·fa·bly, adverb

Synonym study

1. See civil.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for affably

They ranged from yoga teacher-toned to affably soft around the edges.
Naked on a New York Street—for Art|Emily Shire|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its affably glib opening lines set the tone while acknowledging the First-World-problems aspect to the text.
Must-Reads: ‘The Last Nude,’ ‘Arrows of the Night,’ and ‘The Fallback Plan’|Bruce Riedel, Lauren Elkin, Drew Nellins|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"You may read if you like," Laurie affably suggested, when this had been suppressed.
The Girl in the Mirror|Elizabeth Garver Jordan
She then slipped from the room, and was affably received below, and taken into the apartment which they had first entered.
Audrey|Mary Johnston

They went out to the middle of Minetta Street to affably fight it out and determine the justice of the question.
Last Words|Stephen Crane
“Not by no means,” acquiesced Mr. Weller, affably but magisterially.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
"That's a mighty fine watch you've got there," he remarked, affably.
The Deserter, and Other Stories|Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for affably

affable

/ (ˈæfəbəl) /

adjective

showing warmth and friendliness; kindly; mild; benign

easy to converse with; approachable; amicable

Derived Forms

affability, nounaffably, adverb

Word Origin for affable

C16: from Latin affābilis easy to talk to, from affārī to talk to, from ad- to + fāri to speak; compare fable, fate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012