Synonyms for love

verb

  1. To be passionately devoted

    adore, be in love with, care for, delight in, hold dear, choose, fancy, venerate, be enchanted by, be passionately attached to, have affection for, be enamored of, dote on, glorify, exalt, idolize, prize, put on a pedestal, hold in affection, deify, be fascinated by, hold high, canonize, think the world of, treasure, prefer, yearn for, esteem, be captivated by, be enraptured by, lose one's heart to, be fond of, admire, long for, be oneself with, thrive with, flip over*, fall for*, be nuts about*, be crazy about*, go for*, have it bad*, cotton to*; see also cherish 1, like 2.

    Antonyms hate*, detest, loathe.

  2. To express love by caresses

    cherish, fondle, make love, make much of, feast one's eyes on, embrace, cling to, clasp, hug, take into one's arms, hold, pet, soothe, stroke, encircle with one's arms, press to the heart, draw close, remain near to, bring to one's side, look tenderly at, look deeply into one's eyes, chase after*, make a play for*, shine up to*, neck*, make out*, love up*, make it*; see also caress, copulate, kiss.

    Antonyms exclude, spurn, refuse.

  3. To possess a deep and abiding interest

    enjoy, delight in, relish; see admire 1, like 1.

noun

  1. Passionate and tender devotion

    affection, attachment, devotion, infatuation, passion, tenderness, tender passion, fondness, adoration, yearning, flame, rapture, enchantment, ardor, emotion, sentiment, amorousness, free love, enjoyment, cherishing, devotedness, worship, desire, fancy, weakness, amativeness, Eros, Cupid, Amor, Venus, Aphrodite, Kama, crush*, puppy love*, calf love*; see also affection 1, desire 3.

    Antonyms hate*, aversion, antipathy.

  2. Affection based on esteem

    respect, regard, appreciation; see admiration.

  3. A lively and enduring interest

    relish, predilection, penchant, passion; see affection 1, inclination 1, zest 1.

  4. A beloved

    dear one, loved one, cherished one; see lover 1.

love implies intense fondness or deep devotion and may apply to various relationships or objects sexual love, brotherly love, love of one's work; affection suggests warm, tender feelings, usually not as powerful or deep as those implied by lovehe has no affection for children; attachment implies connection by ties of affection, attraction, devotion, etc. and may be felt for inanimate things as well as for people an attachment to an old hat; infatuation implies a foolish or unreasoning passion or affection, often a transient one an elderly man's infatuation for a young girl

fall in love (with)

begin to feel love, adore, be infatuated.

for love

as a favor, voluntarily, without payment; see freely 2.

for the love of

for the sake of, with fond concern for, because of; see for.

in love
make love

fondle, embrace, caress; see love (v.) 2.

not for love or money

under no conditions, by no means, no; see never.

with no love lost between

unkindly, vengefully, full of dislike; see angrily.

See love in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II


noun
  1. Deep and ardent affection:

    adoration, devotion, worship. See like, love
  2. The passionate affection and desire felt by lovers for each other:

    amorousness, fancy, passion, romance. See love, sex
  3. An intimate sexual relationship between two people:

    affair, amour, love affair, romance. See love, sex
  4. The condition of being closely tied to another by affection or faith:

    affection, attachment, devotion, fondness, liking, loyalty (used in plural). See connect
  5. A person who is much loved:

    beloved, darling, dear, honey, minion, precious, sweet, sweetheart, truelove. (Informal) sweetie. Idiom: light of one's life. See love
  6. A strong, enthusiastic liking for something:

    love affair, passion, romance. See love
verb
  1. To feel deep, devoted love for:

    adore, worship. See love
  2. To like or enjoy enthusiastically, often excessively:

    adore, delight (in), dote on (or upon). (Slang) eat up, groove on. See like, love

See love in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms

love affection devotion fondness infatuation 

These nouns denote feelings of warm personal attachment or strong attraction to another person. Love is the most intense: marrying for love.
Affection is a less ardent and more unvarying feeling of tender regard: parental affection.
Devotion is earnest, affectionate dedication and implies selflessness: teachers admired for their devotion to children.
Fondness is strong liking or affection: a fondness for small animals.
Infatuation is foolish or extravagant attraction, often of short duration: lovers blinded to their differences by their mutual infatuation.

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