diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d506844..c59d488 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(termcap,
    [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-termcap], [Use termcap library to query terminal size.])],
    AC_DEFINE([CONFIG_USE_TERMCAP], 1, [Define to use the termcap library for terminal size.]))
 
+AM_CONDITIONAL([USE_LIBTERMCAP], [test "$enable_termcap" != no])
 AM_CFLAGS="-std=gnu99 $inline_cflags -W -Wall -Wundef -Wunused -Wstrict-prototypes -Werror-implicit-function-declaration $nopointersign_cflags -Wshadow -Wcast-qual"
 AC_SUBST(AM_CFLAGS)
 
diff --git a/examples/Makefile.am b/examples/Makefile.am
index 2b5d47a..db231d9 100644
--- a/examples/Makefile.am
+++ b/examples/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 
 noinst_PROGRAMS  = testit cli
-LDADD            = $(top_builddir)/src/libeditline.la $(TERMLIBS)
+LDADD            = $(top_builddir)/src/libeditline.la
 AM_CFLAGS        = -I$(top_srcdir)/src -I$(top_srcdir)/include
 AM_LDFLAGS       = -static
+
+if USE_LIBTERMCAP
+LDADD           += -ltermcap
+endif
+