amenity
Americannoun
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amenities
plural
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an agreeable way or manner; courtesy; civility.
the graceful amenities of society.
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any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure.
The house has a swimming pool, two fireplaces, and other amenities.
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the quality of being pleasing or agreeable in situation, prospect, disposition, etc.; pleasantness.
the amenity of the Caribbean climate.
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amenities, lavatory; bathroom: used as a euphemism.
noun
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(often plural) a useful or pleasant facility or service
a swimming pool was just one of the amenities
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the fact or condition of being pleasant or agreeable
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(usually plural) a social courtesy or pleasantry
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of amenity
1400–50; late Middle English amenite < Anglo-French < Latin amoenitās, equivalent to amoen ( us ) pleasing + -itās -ity
Explanation
Like built-in GPS, seat warmers and four-wheel drive, an amenity is a feature that contributes to comfort or value. Or in another sense, it's the overall pleasantness that results from all those cool features. Declared the American novelist Edith Wharton, “I despair of the Republic! Such dreariness, such whining sallow women, such utter absence of the amenities, such crass food, crass manners, crass landscape! What a horror it is for a whole nation to be developing without the sense of beauty, and eating bananas for breakfast.” As you can see, people throughout time have gotten cranky when they’ve felt their amenities to be lacking.
Vocabulary lists containing amenity
The Namesake
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ami, amor
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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
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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.
See Examples For:
"Then a lifetime of pylons impacting on their environment, agriculture, tourism, property values, physical and visual amenity to name a few," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
It’s an unexpected amenity in a part of the city that seems otherwise hostile to pedestrians and cyclists, but one Papas wants incorporated around more of Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The site still needs to go through the relevant planning stages, and the need for new homes will be balanced "against public amenity", the council added.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Cheers to the Caraa amenity kit handed out in JetBlue’s Mint business-class seats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
But the biggest amenity of all was the free lunch that almost every saloon offered in order to lure customers and increase the sale of beer.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Combining preserved midcentury architecture, sustainable living practices, and an abundance of outdoor amenities, the Northridge property offers buyers a home that celebrates both California’s design heritage and a more intentional way of living.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
"Households are more commonly exchanging commuting time for more affordable housing, increased space and access to rural amenities," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
These are among the ultraluxury amenities coming to every aircraft in the fleet of Bond, a new members club offering access to private jets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“This facility requires minimal work, provides additional amenities for athletes, and accounts for up to $17.6 million in revenue increases and cost savings,” LA28 said when it announced the shift to the Rose Bowl pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
To find a diet free from DDT and related chemicals, it seems one must go to a remote and primitive land, still lacking the amenities of civilization.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
