Love vs. Affection

Main Difference

The main difference between the terms of love and affection is that love is more strong and deep, whereas affection is less deep and strong.

Love vs. Affection — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Love and Affection

Love vs. Affection

Love is a feeling that is very strong and deep, whereas affection is a feeling that is a moderate and gentle feeling and emotion towards someone/something.

Love vs. Affection

Love is a strong and deep affection. Conversely, affection is a gentle feeling of fondness, caring, or liking.

Love vs. Affection

Love is a combination of emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and mystic attachment to a specific person on the other hand affection is the feeling that one feels towards someone else’s beauty, looks or some other appealing trait.

Love vs. Affection

The degree of fondness and attraction in love is more, on the flip side, the degree of fondness and attraction in affection is less.

Love vs. Affection

Love can also be considered as sexual or intimate with some specific relations on the contrary affection is deprived of such feelings.

Love vs. Affection

Love is a step ahead of affection; conversely, affection is the first step towards love.

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Love vs. Affection

The feeling of love contains strong feelings like passion and romance, while the feeling of affection is mild, and it does not contain passionate or romantic feelings.

Love vs. Affection

Love does not need a reason contrarily affection is generated by some factors like attraction towards someone.

Love vs. Affection

Love is deeper and stronger feeling inversely affection is a mild feeling.

Lovenoun

(uncountable) Strong affection.

Affectionnoun

The act of affecting or acting upon.

Lovenoun

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.
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Affectionnoun

The state of being affected.

Lovenoun

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

Affectionnoun

An attribute; a quality or property; a condition

Lovenoun

A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.

I have never been in love as much as I have with you.

Affectionnoun

An emotion; a feeling or natural impulse acting upon and swaying the mind

Lovenoun

A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.

My love of cricket knows no bounds.

Affectionnoun

A feeling of love or strong attachment.

Lovenoun

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

Affectionnoun

Disease; morbid symptom; malady.

Lovenoun

A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.

Hello love, how can I help you?

Affectionverb

to feel an affection, emotion or love for.

Lovenoun

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

Affectionnoun

a positive feeling of liking;

he had trouble expressing the affection he feltthe child won everyone's heart

Lovenoun

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

Lovenoun

(euphemistic) Sexual activity.

Lovenoun

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

Lovenoun

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

Lovenoun

.

Lovenoun

(obsolete) A thin silk material.

Lovenoun

A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba''.

Lovenoun

(racquet sports) Zero, no score.

So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.

Loveverb

To have a strong affection for (someone or something).

I love my spouse.I love you!

Loveverb

(transitive) To need, thrive on.

Mold loves moist, dark places.

Loveverb

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

Loveverb

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

Loveverb

(transitive) To derive delight from a fact or situation.

I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.

Loveverb

(transitive) To lust for.

Loveverb

To have sex with, (perhaps from make love.)

I wish I could love her all night long.

Loveverb

To praise; commend.

Loveverb

To praise as of value; prize; set a price on.

Lovenoun

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection;

his love for his workchildren need a lot of love

Lovenoun

any object of warm affection or devotion;

the theater was her first lovehe has a passion for cock fighting

Lovenoun

a beloved person; used as terms of endearment

Lovenoun

a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction;

their love left them indifferent to their surroundingsshe was his first love

Lovenoun

a score of zero in tennis or squash;

it was 40 love

Lovenoun

sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people;

his lovemaking disgusted herhe hadn't had any love in monthshe has a very complicated love life

Loveverb

have a great affection or liking for;

I love French foodShe loves her boss and works hard for him

Loveverb

get pleasure from;

I love cooking

Loveverb

be enamored or in love with;

She loves her husband deeply

Loveverb

have sexual intercourse with;

This student sleeps with everyone in her dormAdam knew EveWere you ever intimate with this man?

Comparison Chart

LoveAffection
A feeling of deep affection for a specific personA feeling of liking, attraction, and fondness towards something or someone
Intensity
Deep/strongLess deep/less strong
Passion/Romance
IncludedExcluded
Feeling For
A person specificallyPersons or things
Degree of Attraction/Fondness
MoreLess

Love vs. Affection

Love and affection are two similar, yet different feelings that one experiences in life. Love and affection are interconnected and at the same time, different in many aspects. Both the feelings are so strong that are inseparable.

Love is defined as a deep affection towards one or many specific persons. Affection is a feeling of attraction, liking, and fondness. The degree of fondness and attraction in love is more than that of affection.

Love is a combination of emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and mystic attachment to a specific person. Affection is the feeling that one feels towards someone else’s beauty, looks, or some other appealing trait.

Love is a step ahead of affection. Affection is the first step towards love. If we love someone, we will feel affection for that person, but we do not love everyone for which we feel affection.

The intensity of both feeling love and affection is different. Love is an intense, deeper and stronger feeling. Comparatively, affection is a less intense, mild feeling. Love is an unconditional feeling. You start feeling it for someone without any reason. In simple words, love does not need a reason. Affection, however, is always generated by any factor like attraction towards someone.

In love, a person uses to like every aspect of the person’s personality whom he is in love with. In affection, a person adores something or someone. The feeling of love contains passion and romance. The feeling of affection does not contain romantic or passionate feelings.

Love and affection have their associations with different expressions and acts. Love can also be considered as sexual or intimate whereas affection is deprived of such feelings.

What is Love?

Love refers to a wide variety of feelings or emotions. It is a feeling which a person surely experience once in his life. This variety of feelings commonly includes affection, caring, liking, and attachment.

Love is an emotion that one feels towards a close person specifically. Love is defined as a deep affection towards one or many specific persons. Love is a combination of emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and mystic attachment to a specific person.

It is such a feeling that is inseparable and unforgettable. Love is a step ahead of affection. If we love someone, we will feel affection for that person, but we do not love everyone for which we feel affection. Love is the world’s most strong and deeper feeling. It is unconditional. You start feeling it for someone without any reason. In simple words, love does not need a reason.

The strong feeling of love is associated with positive feelings like care, trust, warmth, and happiness. In love, a person uses to like every aspect of the person’s personality with whom he is in love. There are four types of love, according to ancient Greeks. These are named as phileo, storge, eros, and agape.

Phileo is one of the affectionate, warm, and platonic love. We feel this kind of love towards friends. Storge is the love we feel towards relatives and family. Eros is the kind of love that is passionate love that is commonly found between lovers. This kind of love is characterized by longing and desire. Agape is the pure and ideal love which is opposite to eros.

On the whole, love is a feeling that makes oneself happy and others too. The four types of love indicate different intensities and levels, but all these types share a common element of kindness and attraction.

What is Affection?

Affection is a gentle and mild feeling of liking, caring, and fondness. Affection is a feeling that a person experiences many times in his/her life. The feeling of attraction can either be towards a person or a thing, although the degree of fondness and attraction in affection is not as strong as in love.

Affection is a mild feeling that is also sometimes considered as the first step towards love. Affection is the feeling that one feels towards someone else’s beauty, looks, or some other appealing trait. If we love someone, we will feel affection for that person, but we do not love everyone for which we feel affection. Affection is generated by factors like attraction and fondness towards someone.

In affection, a person adores something or someone. The feeling of affection does not contain passionate, sensual or romantic feelings. Affection is also deprived of sexuality or intimacy. However, the feeling of affection is communicated through cute and gentle gestures, words, or touches.

The common acts of affection are a hug, kiss on the forehead, cheek, or nose. Affection is a kind of feeling that makes you feel safe and cared for. In simple words, affection can be taken as an earlier phase of love and love can not happen without affection.

Affection is a very gentle and moderate feeling. It can be seen in a relationship between two friends, a child, and a mother, etc. One can also feel affection for that one does not love. For example, a person can feel affection for his/her roommate or neighbor, but this does not mean that he/she loves his/her neighbor.

Conclusion

Love and affection are the two different feelings that are commonly experienced by human beings. Both the feelings are different from each other in their intensity, experience, and various other aspects