likable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of likable
Explanation
A likable person is agreeable and friendly. It's very easy to be fond of someone who's likable. Every student wants to take a class with the most likable teacher in your school, and your likable acquaintances find it easy to make friends. In books and movies, the characters who are the most sympathetic (and who we tend to root for) are the likable ones. You can spell this adjective with or without an e: likable and likeable are both correct.
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’s a teammate, a captain, a champion, the finals MVP, as important and likable an athlete the city has ever experienced.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
Nobody was better at playing a very handsome guy, the center of attention, who was also nonthreatening, not above a bit of slapstick, a little silly—above all, likable.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
"They're likable, they're easy to love, they're easy to root for," said superfan Anthony Donahue.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
I had to fight for it ... because everybody’s always so worried that I’m not going to be likable or I’m going to be silly or stupid.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
“Take care of yourself, Major. You aint the most likable man 1 ever met, but you sure are useful.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
