Amiable denotes a disposition desirous to cheer, please, and make happy. A selfish man of the world may have the art to be agreeable; a handsome, brilliant, and witty person may be charming or even attractive, while by no means amiable.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

friendly My boyfriend is smart, handsome, and friendly too.
affable Many extroverted people are at least somewhat affable.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
amiable		steady
friendly		rising
affable		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: good¹, kind¹, nice¹
5 letters: sweet¹
6 letters: gentle², genial²
7 letters: lovable³, cordial², likable³, affable³, winsome²
8 letters: friendly², pleasant², gracious², amicable⁴, sociable³, likeable³, obliging³
9 letters: agreeable⁴, congenial³
10 letters: benevolent⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (gentle² = 2 syllables).