amenable

adjective

ame·​na·​ble ə-ˈmē-nə-bəl  -ˈme- 

1

a

: having or showing willingness to agree or to accept something that is wanted or asked for

She said her peers wanted her to bend the rules, but she wasn't amenable.

—Erin Osmon

—usually used with to

His boss was amenable to the idea of his working from home.

b

: readily yielding, submitting, or cooperating

—usually used with to

a government not amenable to change

c

formal : able to be controlled, organized, or affected by something

—usually used with to

The data is amenable to analysis.

a disease amenable to treatment

The United States has … a higher rate of "mortality amenable to health care"—that's statistics-speak for people dying because they didn't see a doctor in time—than culturally and economically comparable nations …

—Ben Burgis

d

: hospitable, suitable

The three factors necessary to spread disease are a pathogen, a host, and an amenable environment.

—Emily Gedde

… a tropical or subtropical, mostly evergreen, moist environment with daytime temperatures around 75 degrees with 60 percent humidity, comfortably amenable conditions for the plants and people alike.

—Lorene Edwards Forkner

—often used with to

conditions amenable to life

2

: legally subject or answerable

—usually used with to

Moreover, the Piedmont Regional Jail is not a "person," and therefore not amenable to suit …

—Preval v. Reno, 57 F. Supp. 2d 307 (1999)

amenability

ə-ˌmē-nə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

-ˌme-

noun

amenably

ə-ˈmē-nə-blē 

-ˈme-

adverb

Did you know?

Nowadays, amenable is often used to describe someone who is favorably disposed to something, but it ultimately comes from Latin minari, meaning “to threaten.” Since the 16th century, English speakers have been using it in courtrooms and law with the meaning “answerable,” as in “citizens amenable to the law.” It later developed the meanings “suited” (“a simple function ... which is perfectly amenable to pencil-and-paper arithmetic”—Nature, April 1973) and “responsive” (as in “illnesses that are amenable to drug therapy”). It also came to be used of people with a general disposition to be agreeable—like Mr. Dick in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, who was “the most friendly and amenable creature in existence.”

Synonyms

• disposed
• fain
• game
• glad
• inclined
• minded
• ready
• willing

Choose the Right Synonym for amenable

responsible, answerable, accountable, amenable, liable mean subject to being held to account.

responsible implies holding a specific office, duty, or trust.

the bureau responsible for revenue collection

answerable suggests a relation between one having a moral or legal obligation and a court or other authority charged with oversight of its observance.

an intelligence agency answerable to Congress

accountable suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

elected officials are accountable to the voters

amenable and liable stress the fact of subjection to review, censure, or control by a designated authority under certain conditions.

laws are amenable to judicial review

not liable for the debts of the former spouse

obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another.

obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

Examples of amenable in a Sentence

While no one yet knows how wide … margins can go, contracts establish royalty rates and project them far into the future. Many agents have thus pushed for a term of license of just a few years. Publishers, however, are not always amenable. —Steven M. Zeitchik, Publishers Weekly, 14 June 1999

Some of the newer findings address a vexing flaw in the sole noninvasive screening test for detecting microscopic prostate cancer, the form most amenable to a cure. —Marc B. Garnick et al., Scientific American, December 1998

whatever you decide to do, I'm amenable—just let me know

our normally balky cat becomes the most amenable of creatures when confronted with the strange environment of the veterinary clinic

Recent Examples on the Web

Passing power is readily available and the ten-speed is amenable to being flattened when trying to hit a closing gap in traffic. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Baseball isn’t merely amenable to snacking; the game is arranged around it. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024

All the other challenges are harder, and many are not amenable to human ingenuity at this stage. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Many pro-Palestine organizers told me that, compared with Biden, Harris and her team seemed more amenable to hearing them out. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, from amener "to bring, bring to a court (as witnesses, pledges), summon, take, lead" (also continental Old French) (from a- —going back to Latin ad- ad-— + mener "to lead, bring") + able -able — more at demean entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

amenable

adjective

ame·​na·​ble ə-ˈmē-nə-bəl  -ˈmen-ə- 

formal

: readily giving in or agreeing

amenable to our wishes

amenability

ə-ˌmē-nə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

-ˌmen-ə-

noun

amenably

ə-ˈmē-nə-blē 

-ˈmen-ə-

adverb

Legal Definition

amenable

adjective

ame·​na·​ble ə-ˈmē-nə-bəl, -ˈme- 

1

: legally subject or answerable

the corporation is not amenable to suit in New York

2

a

: suited by nature

an adult is not amenable to a juvenile treatment program

b

: readily yielding, submitting, or cooperating

defendant is amenable to rehabilitation

—National Law Journal

amenability

ə-ˌmē-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē, -ˌme- 

noun