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35 Synonyms for “Love”

12th February 2020

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, now seems like the perfect time to think about the word “love” and it’s synonyms. Although there is nothing wrong with using the word “love” either in speech or in your writing, it can be interesting to consider some of the other ways we can describe our feelings for one another. This is why we at Literary Edits have written a list of thirty-five synonyms for the word “love”. Whether you want to express your feelings for a significant other, a family pet, or a box of chocolates, we hope you enjoy reading this list and that it helps you convey your affections in a slightly different way.

What Does it Mean?

“Love” is an extremely broad term; when we use the word “love”, we can be referring to a startling number of different emotions and qualities. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), it means “[a] feeling or disposition of deep affection or fondness for someone”, yet we can also use the word “love” in relation to objects or animals. It is also true that there are different types of love; you might “adore” your kitten, but it is unlikely that you “fancy” the animal in the same way that you might “fancy” your husband or wife. As there are so many different implications to the word “love”, it is important to remember that the synonyms described in this blog post should not simply be used to replace the word “love”. Instead, they should be used to consider the different aspects of it. After all, “lust” is not the same as “love”, and these words should not be confused, even though they can seem similar at times.

Synonyms for "Love" as a Verb

The word “love” is commonly used as both a verb and a noun, and it is important to distinguish between the two. When we use it as a verb, we are describing it as an action. For example, in the sentence, “I love you”, it is being used as a verb. Any of the synonyms listed below can replace “love” in this sentence and it will still make grammatical sense (e.g. “I adore you” or “I respect you”), and this is because they are all verbs.

  • To Adore.
  • To Admire.
  • To Adulate.
  • To Appreciate.
  • To Cherish.
  • To Enjoy.
  • To Fancy.
  • To Idolise.
  • To Prize.
  • To Respect.
  • To Revere.
  • To Treasure.
  • To Value.

Synonyms for "Love" as a Noun

“Love” is also regularly used in its noun form. For example, in the sentence, “you fill me with love”, “fill” is the verb, while “love” is the noun. Here, “love” is not an action that is taking place; instead, it is a concept or emotion. All the synonyms listed below are nouns, which means they can easily replace “love” in sentences such as “you fill me with love” or “it is a love I can’t explain” (e.g. “you fill me with delight” or “it is a longing I can’t explain”).

  • Adoration.
  • Admiration.
  • Adulation.
  • Affection.
  • Attachment.
  • Attraction.
  • Captivation.
  • Dedication.
  • Delight.
  • Desire.
  • Devotion.
  • Fixation.
  • Fondness.
  • Idolisation.
  • Infatuation.
  • Longing.
  • Lust.
  • Obsession.
  • Passion.
  • Respect.
  • Reverence.
  • Yearning.

There are so many different types of love, which is why it is important to remember that although these words are technically synonyms for the word “love”, they are not all synonyms for each other; they can mean very different things, which really demonstrates how broad the word “love” really is.

We hope you have enjoyed this list of thirty-five synonyms for the word “love”. If you are interested in more writing advice from Literary Edits, why not check out our post on 50 synonyms for the word “walk”? We love talking about words, so if you have any more synonyms for “love” that you think we could add to this list, or if you have any questions for us, let us know in the comments below.

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