companionable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of companionable
1350–1400; Middle English. See companion 1, -able
Explanation
Someone who's companionable is close and friendly. A companionable dog stays right by your side, a loyal pal. It's fun to talk to a companionable person — they tend to be warm and good-natured. And our best relationships are the ones that are the most companionable: your grandparents might say the secret of a long, happy marriage is to make it a companionable one. A companionable silence is comfortable and relaxed. The word stems from the Old French compagnon, "fellow, mate, friend, or partner."
Vocabulary lists containing companionable
Tuck Everlasting
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Kindred
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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
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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.
There was no luminous dial or companionable tick, just four numbers—12, 3, 6 and 9—with slashes for the other hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
We had Zoom sessions where everyone kept their camera on, but nobody talked, just wrote in companionable silence.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026
"On each occasion, the tree has been a witness not only to our companionable day's walking, but also to the journeys of each of our lives," he said.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2023
At FourFiveSix, a bar in Brooklyn, over 60 people showed up to read in companionable silence with strangers this month.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
That hurt, for Frank’s friendship with McMillan dated back to the mid-1950s, when they shared many companionable holidays camping and riding with Robert at his ranch in the New Mexico desert.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
