What is another word for love?
Where do we begin?
Love is often classified and categorized in terms of what type of
relationship is being discussed, such as with terms like
romantic love and
platonic love, or with fancier words like
eros or
agape. People who
love each other romantically are said to be
in love. Instantaneous
love is called
love at first sight.
Love is often described in terms of how serious or deep it is, as in terms like
true love and
unconditional love, or whether it’s reciprocated, as in
unrequited love. Synonyms for
love that can imply varying levels of intensity or
intimacy include
fondness,
affection,
devotion, and
adoration.
Love is also used as a noun in the sense of a person you
love or have
loved romantically, as in
She was my first love or
It’s a story of two loves reunited. The word
lover is sometimes used in the same way, but this typically implies a sexual relationship. The word
love is also often used in the context of sex in euphemisms like
make love. In more general contexts, we call the people we
love loved ones. You might call someone
my love as a term of endearment, much like
my dear or
my darling. Someone who is well
loved is often described as
beloved. As a verb, there are a few synonyms that are sometimes used for
love, such as
adore,
admire,
cherish, and even
treasure. But many words don’t really capture the fullness and depth of what
love can mean. For that, we usually look to the poets. Among the wisest said that
Love is a battlefield. Others have said that
Love is all you need (all you need is
love). If you’ve been to a lot of weddings, you’ve heard that
love is
patient,
love is
kind—
love never fails. Shakespeare didn’t say that
Love is a many splendored thing, but he did say that
Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.
Love is a lot of things.
Love is a
four-letter word. LOVE is a sculpture in Philadelphia (the city of
brotherly love—not to be confused with the other
City of Love). In tennis,
love is
nothing. In life,
love is
everything. Some people see
love as a
feeling, an
emotion. Others see it as an
action. In this sense, perhaps the closest synonym for
love is
work. That’s what’s meant when it’s said that
Love is a verb—
love is a doing word. Sometimes, there’s no other word for it, no better way to say it:
love is
love.
What is a stronger word for love?
Synonyms for
love tend to capture only some aspects or elements of
love. The verb
adore means to feel intense
love for someone—and
adoration can be mutual. Still, despite how common the word is, and how easily it gets tossed around,
love is often the strongest word you can use.
I love you may be a set phrase, but there really is no equal for it. Perhaps the strongest way to use the word
love is not just to say it, but to prove you mean it by
showing it. Of course,
love is also commonly used as a way of saying you really
like something, as in
I love your shoes! In this case,
love is the stronger word. Perhaps an even stronger way to say this is by avoiding a
love/like construction altogether. For example, instead of saying
I love your shoes, you could say
Your shoes are fabulous! or
Your shoes are EVERYTHING! or however you want to express how amazing they are.
