Difference Wiki

Like vs. Love

The main difference between the words like and love is that to like someone, or something means you find something satisfactory or agreeable and to love something, or someone means you feel deep attraction for someone.

Key Differences

Like is associated with pleasant feelings while love is associated with more intense feelings.
Janet White
Jul 20, 2019
Like depend on factors like physical appearance, qualities, etc., on the other hand; love is unconditional.
Harlon Moss
Jul 20, 2019
Like is a mild feeling conversely love is a stronger feeling.
Liking a person means that you are happy to be with him on the flip side; loving a person means that you cannot live without
Like, can be used to indicate admiration and preference for someone or something whereas love is an intense and strong feeling towards someone.

Comparison Chart

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A mild feeling of attraction towards something/someone
A strong and intense feeling of attraction towards something/someone
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Associated With

Pleasant feelings
Intense, strong feelings

Nature

Need a reason
Unconditional

Duration

Temporary
Permanent

Feeling

Mild
Strong, intense
Aimie Carlson
Jul 20, 2019

Like and Love Definitions

Like

To find pleasant or attractive; enjoy
Do you like ice cream? I like your style.

Love

A strong feeling of affection and concern toward another person, as that arising from kinship or close friendship.
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Like

To want to have
I would like some coffee.

Love

A strong feeling of affection and concern for another person accompanied by sexual attraction.

Like

To prefer
How would you like your coffee—with sugar or without?.

Love

A feeling of devotion or adoration toward God or a god.

Like

To feel about; regard
How do you like these new theater seats?.

Love

A feeling of kindness or concern by God or a god toward humans.
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Like

To believe or predict that (a certain competitor) will win a contest
Which team do you like in tonight's game?.

Love

Often Love(Christianity) Charity.

Like

To perform well under (a given condition) or using (a given feature)
This car does not like cold weather. The engine does not like enriched fuel.

Love

Sexual desire or activity
The pleasures of love.
A night of love.

Like

(Archaic) To be pleasing to.

Love

An instance of being in love
Teenage loves can be as fleeting as they are intense.

Like

To have an inclination or a preference
If you like, we can meet you there.

Love

A person for whom one has strong feelings of affection
She met her new love at the restaurant.

Like

(Scots) To be pleased.

Love

Used as a term of endearment for such a person.

Like

Something that is liked; a preference
Made a list of his likes and dislikes.

Love

An intense emotional attachment to something, as to a pet or treasured object.

Like

One similar to or like another. Used with the
Was subject to coughs, asthma, and the like.

Love

An expression of one's affection
Send him my love.

Like

Often likes(Informal) An equivalent or similar person or thing; an equal or match
I've never seen the likes of this before. We'll never see his like again.

Love

A strong predilection or enthusiasm
A love of language.
Love for the game of golf.

Like

Possessing the characteristics of; resembling closely; similar to
Your house is like mine.

Love

The object of such an enthusiasm
The outdoors is her greatest love.

Like

In the typical manner of
It's not like you to take offense.

Love

Love(Mythology) Eros or Cupid.

Like

In the same way as
Lived like royalty.

Love

(Sports) A score of zero, as in tennis.

Like

Inclined or disposed to
Felt like running away.

Love

To feel love for (a person)
We love our parents. I love my friends.

Like

As if the probability exists for
Looks like a bad year for farmers.

Love

To feel sexual love for (a person).

Like

Such as; for example
Saved things like old newspapers and pieces of string.

Love

To feel devotion to (God or a god).

Like

Possessing the same or almost the same characteristics; similar
On this and like occasions.

Love

To feel or show kindness or concern to (a person). Used of God or a god.

Like

In the manner of being; as if. Used as an intensifier of action
Worked like hell.
Ran like crazy.

Love

To have an intense emotional attachment to
Loves his house.

Like

(Informal) Probably; likely
Like as not she'll change her mind.

Love

To embrace or caress
They were loving each other on the sofa.

Like

Nearly; approximately
The price is more like 1,000 dollars.

Love

To have sexual intercourse with.

Like

(Nonstandard) Used to provide emphasis or to focus attention on something
Let's like talk about this for a minute. It's like so crowded you can't move.

Love

To like or desire enthusiastically
Loves swimming.

Like

In the same way that; as
To dance like she does requires great discipline.

Love

To thrive on; need
The cactus loves hot, dry air.

Like

As if
It looks like we'll finish on time.

Love

To feel love or sexual love for another.

Like

To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
I like hamburgers.
I like skiing in winter.
I like the Seattle Mariners this season.

Love

(uncountable) A deep caring for the existence of another.

Like

To please.

Love

(uncountable) Strong affection.

Like

(obsolete) To derive pleasure of, by or with someone or something.

Love

A profound and caring affection towards someone.
A mother’s love is not easily shaken.
My husband’s love is the most important thing in my life.

Like

To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.
I like to go to the dentist every six months.
She likes to keep herself physically fit.
We like to keep one around the office just in case.

Love

Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being.

Like

(obsolete) To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).

Love

A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.
I have never been in love as much as I have with you.

Like

(archaic) To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly.
He liked to have been too late.

Love

A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.
My love of cricket knows no bounds.

Like

To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.
I really like Sandra but don't know how to tell her.

Love

(countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.

Like

(obsolete) To liken; to compare.

Love

A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.
Hello love, how can I help you?

Like

To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.
I liked my friend's last status on Facebook.
I can't stand Bloggs' tomato ketchup, but I liked it on Facebook so I could enter a competition.

Love

A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.

Like

(with 'would' and in certain other phrases) To want, desire. See also would like.
Would you like a cigarette?
We could go to the museum if you like.
I don't like to disturb him when he's working.

Love

(euphemistic) Sexual desire; attachment based on sexual attraction.

Like

To accept as an input.
We were frustrated that our seeming innocent choice for a team name was rejected by the censor. Apparently somewhere in the name is a word that the censor doesn’t like.

Love

(euphemistic) Sexual activity.

Like

To be likely.

Love

An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair.

Like

Something that a person likes (prefers).
Tell me your likes and dislikes.

Love

Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young.

Like

(internet) An individual vote showing support for, approval of, or enjoyment of, something posted on the Internet.

Love

(obsolete) A thin silk material.

Like

(sometimes as the likes of) Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort.
There were bowls full of sweets, chocolates and the like.
It was something the likes of which I had never seen before.

Love

A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba.

Like

(golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.
To play the like

Love

Zero, no score.
So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.

Like

Similar.
My partner and I have like minds.
The two cats were as like as though they had come from the same litter.

Love

Nothing; no recompense.

Like

Likely; probable.

Love

To have a strong affection for (someone or something).
I love my spouse.
I love you!
I love that song!

Like

Inclined (to), prone (to).
He seems like to run from any semblance of hard work.

Love

(transitive) To need, thrive on.
Mold loves moist, dark places.

Like

Likely.

Love

(transitive) To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.
I love walking barefoot on wet grass;
I'd love to join the team;
I love what you've done with your hair

Like

In a like or similar manner.

Love

To care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).

Like

(colloquial) As, the way.

Love

(transitive) To derive delight from a fact or situation.
I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.

Like

As if; as though.
It looks like you've finished the project.
It seemed like you didn't care.

Love

To have sex with (perhaps from make love).
I wish I could love her all night long.

Like

Similar to, reminiscent of

Love

A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preëminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters.
Of all the dearest bonds we proveThou countest sons' and mothers' loveMost sacred, most Thine own.

Like

Typical of
It would be just like Achilles to be sulking in his tent.

Love

Especially, devoted attachment to, or tender or passionate affection for, one of the opposite sex.
He on his sideLeaning half-raised, with looks of cordial loveHung over her enamored.

Like

Approximating
Popcorn costs something like $10 dollars at the movies.

Love

Courtship; - chiefly in the phrase to make love, i. e., to court, to woo, to solicit union in marriage.
Demetrius . . . Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,And won her soul.

Like

In the manner of, similarly to
He doesn't act like a president.

Love

Affection; kind feeling; friendship; strong liking or desire; fondness; good will; - opposed to hate; often with of and an object.
Love, and health to all.
Smit with the love of sacred song.
The love of science faintly warmed his breast.

Like

Such as
It's for websites like Wikipedia.

Love

Due gratitude and reverence to God.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.

Like

As if there would be
It looks like a hot summer in Europe.

Love

The object of affection; - often employed in endearing address; as, he held his love in his arms; his greatest love was reading.
Open the temple gates unto my love.

Like

Used to ask for a description or opinion of someone or something
I hear she has a new boyfriend. What's he like?
What's the weather like in Ürümqi today?

Love

Cupid, the god of love; sometimes, Venus.
Such was his form as painters, when they showTheir utmost art, on naked Lores bestow.
Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves draw Love.

Like

Having the same, or nearly the same, appearance, qualities, or characteristics; resembling; similar to; similar; alike; - often with in and the particulars of the resemblance; as, they are like each other in features, complexion, and many traits of character.
'T is as like youAs cherry is to cherry.
Like master, like man.
He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.

Love

A thin silk stuff.

Like

Equal, or nearly equal; as, fields of like extent.
More clergymen were impoverished by the late war than ever in the like space before.

Love

A climbing species of Clematis (Clematis Vitalba).

Like

Having probability; affording probability; probable; likely.
But it is like the jolly world about us will scoff at the paradox of these practices.
Many were not easy to be governed, nor like to conform themselves to strict rules.

Love

Nothing; no points scored on one side; - used in counting score at tennis, etc.
He won the match by three sets to love.

Like

Inclined toward; disposed to; as, to feel like taking a walk.
Had like to have been my utter overthrow.
Ramona had like to have said the literal truth, . . . but recollected herself in time.

Love

Sexual intercourse; - a euphemism.
A little western flower,Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound;And maidens call it love-in-idleness.

Like

That which is equal or similar to another; the counterpart; an exact resemblance; a copy.
He was a man, take him for all in all,I shall not look upon his like again.

Love

To have a feeling of love for; to regard with affection or good will; as, to love one's children and friends; to love one's country; to love one's God.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self.

Like

A liking; a preference; inclination; - usually in pl.; as, we all have likes and dislikes.

Love

To regard with passionate and devoted affection, as that of one sex for the other.

Like

The stroke which equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side; as, to play the like.

Love

To take delight or pleasure in; to have a strong liking or desire for, or interest in; to be pleased with; to like; as, to love books; to love adventures.
Wit, eloquence, and poetry.Arts which I loved.

Like

In a manner like that of; in a manner similar to; as, do not act like him.
He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Love

To have the feeling of love; to be in love.

Like

In a like or similar manner.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Love

A strong positive emotion of regard and affection;
His love for his work
Children need a lot of love

Like

Likely; probably.

Love

Any object of warm affection or devotion;
The theater was her first love
He has a passion for cock fighting

Like

To suit; to please; to be agreeable to.
Cornwall him liked best, therefore he chose there.
I willingly confess that it likes me much better when I find virtue in a fair lodging than when I am bound to seek it in an ill-favored creature.

Love

A beloved person; used as terms of endearment

Like

To be pleased with in a moderate degree; to approve; to take satisfaction in; to enjoy.
He proceeded from looking to liking, and from liking to loving.

Love

A deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction;
Their love left them indifferent to their surroundings
She was his first love

Like

To liken; to compare.
Like me to the peasant boys of France.

Love

A score of zero in tennis or squash;
It was 40 love

Like

To be pleased; to choose.
He may either go or stay, as he best likes.

Love

Sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people;
His lovemaking disgusted her
He hadn't had any love in months
He has a very complicated love life

Like

To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).
You like well, and bear your years very well.

Love

Have a great affection or liking for;
I love French food
She loves her boss and works hard for him

Like

Prefer or wish to do something;
Do you care to try this dish?
Would you like to come along to the movies?

Love

Get pleasure from;
I love cooking

Like

Find enjoyable or agreeable;
I like jogging
She likes to read Russian novels

Love

Be enamored or in love with;
She loves her husband deeply

Like

Be fond of;
I like my nephews

Love

Have sexual intercourse with;
This student sleeps with everyone in her dorm
Adam knew Eve
Were you ever intimate with this man?

Like

Feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard;
How did you like the President's speech last night?

Like

Want to have;
I'd like a beer now!

Like

Resembling or similar; having the same or some of the same characteristics; often used in combination;
Suits of like design
A limited circle of like minds
Members of the cat family have like dispositions
As like as two peas in a pod
Doglike devotion
A dreamlike quality

Like

Equal in amount or value;
Like amounts
Equivalent amounts
The same amount
Gave one six blows and the other a like number
An equal number
The same number

Like

Having the same or similar characteristics;
All politicians are alike
They looked utterly alike
Friends are generaly alike in background and taste

Like

Conforming in every respect;
Boxes with corresponding dimensions
The like period of the preceding year

Like vs. Love

Like and love is the two most common emotions or feelings experienced by people around the world. ‘To like’ means that you find something agreeable or satisfactory. Love is a strong feeling of affection. You like the person you love, but that does not mean that you love the people you like. Liking someone means to agree with them or being pleased with them. Loving someone means to have a deep feeling of affection for them. You certainly like someone whom you love, but it is not necessarily true that you love someone whom you like. Like is the feeling of being happy with the presence of a specific person. Love is the extremely intense feeling in which you cannot bear to be without a specific person with whom you are in love. As cliche, liking gives you the proverbial butterflies in the stomach but loving someone involves something much deeper than that. Like is to be comfortable in the company of a person. Love is a specific person becoming an integral part of your life. Like and love has a difference in the level of affection one have for something or someone. When you like a person, you feel happy when he/she is around you. But when you love someone, you feel that you can never manage to live without them. Like is based on choice, and it is an instant feeling. Love is based on trust, and it may take time to develop. The feeling of liking someone can be developed for anyone or anything. But the feeling of love is only developed for the very few in your life. ‘Like’ means admiration and attachment. Love means acceptance and endurance.

What is ‘Like’?

Like is a feeling of admiration towards something or someone. You say that you like someone or something only when you find them satisfactory. You can like a lot of things and people in life. When you say that you like a person, this preference could be based on the qualities or physical appearance of that person. Liking someone is also synonymous with respecting someone, agreeing with someone, or even having a crush on someone. It depends on the context. In modern society, ‘like’ also means to display approval through social media networks. Generally, people enjoy early stages and initial feelings of liking someone. They even like to talk to them and spend time together. They like learning all the details about each other — the feeling of likeness associates not only with the persons but also with the things. You tend to like a dress, shoes, a specific restaurant, or anything that make you happy or satisfied. But this is a controllable feeling. One can manage to live without a person or thing one likes. And the likeness is not permanent. It is temporary in a way that the likeness towards something keeps on changing. i.e., If you like a specific person or some reason you can dislike it if something bad about him/her happens to you (unlike love). Hence, this feeling ‘like’ is a limited state of emotions that is under the control of a person.

Examples

  • I like to read detective novels.
  • I like cats.
  • I like the way he talks.
  • He likes that new girl in college for her long hair.

What is Love?

Love is a strong feeling of affection. Generally, love exists in the strong and long relationships. It is an unconditional emotion. It exists between the parents and their children, a husband and a wife, a brother, and a sister, etc. Also, we use ‘love’ when we are talking about something we like a lot. For example, “I love swimming.” Or “I love chocolate cupcakes.” Love is much deeper and different emotion. It is a thing of beauty. It gives you relaxation and confusion at the same time. It is a strange feeling among all. Love is full of passion and is always similar to those emotions felt when you first met that person. Love is not about gaining the upper hand. It is selfless and undemanding. Furthermore, the feeling of love once developed, cannot be replaced or demolished. The main feature of love is that it eliminates imbalances and different degrees of feelings. You do not love a person for a reason because love needs no reason. You love wholeheartedly. If you are in love with someone, merely the thought of losing them or going far away from you will make you sad. Hence it is an intense emotion whose outcome in every sense is extreme. Sometimes, people after accidentally losing the person they love could not manage to live happily ever. They dedicate their whole life to loneliness. Means the whole world becomes nothing or them due to the absence of the person they love.

Examples

  • She feels that she is in love with him.
  • He loves his family.
  • She loves her cat.

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