adjective

amenable

uh-MEE-nuh-buhl/əˈmiːnəbl/

Responsive or open to a particular influence or treatment.

The amenable man lifts his bag to make room for the woman.

An amenable seated man willingly makes room on a bench in response to an arriving woman's gesture: he lifts his bag onto his lap and welcomes her into the cleared seat.

Etymology

aLatinto, toward

+menLatinto drive cattle

+ableOld Frenchliable to

Driving or leading developed into bringing someone to answer before the law. From meaning accountable, amenable shifted to describing someone willing to submit to influence or cooperate.

In context

Paul Benedict New Raja Yoga32:54

giving you some kind of a compliment, expecting something in return. Oh, that will make him much more amenable to being on my side.

Session 66 | Secrets of the Mahatma Letters

More examples

This material is amenable to repair with ordinary tools.
She finds her colleagues surprisingly amenable to the proposal.
The question is not easily amenable to experimental testing.

Similar words

receptive: Emphasizes openness to ideas rather than practical treatability.
tractable: Suggests ease of handling or control, sometimes with less independence.