Unamicable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by discord and absence of peaceable understanding between parties
2. Marked by hostility or coldness rather than warmth between people or groups
3. Lacking the friendliness and goodwill that ordinarily exists in amicable relations

Etymology: "Unamicable" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-" (meaning "not") attached to "amicable," which comes from Latin "amicabilis," meaning "friendly," from "amicus," "friend." So "unamicable" means "not friendly," built the same way English builds many negatives from existing adjectives. The more interesting part is its relatives. "Unamicable" is a doublet of "inamicable," "inamiable," "inimicable," and "unamiable." A doublet is a set of words that come from the same source but arrived in English by different routes and took different shapes. Here, English formed several negatives of the same Latin-derived root, and they now sit side by side, each a little different in tone and frequency, so "unamicable" is one of several near-synonyms for a single idea.

Synonyms: unfriendly, hostile, antagonistic

Antonyms: amicable, friendly, cordial