Love means an expression of affection, respect, and admiration for your family and anyone closer to you. But in love means to share romantic feelings for someone special. The love you have for that particular person is not the same as the love you have for the rest of the people in your life.
We have so many people in our lives whom we love. But, we don’t say we’re in love with all of them.
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Difference Between Love and In Love
| Love | vs. | In Love |
| Love is a feeling of affection security, affection, security, joy, and innocence. It’s self-sacrificing. | Definition | When you are in love with someone, you share romantic feelings with them. There is also a sexual and physical attraction and a sense of security when you are around them. |
| Noun/ verb | Parts of speech | Adjective |
| Generic, innocent, fondness, etc. | Difference of feeling | Romantic, infatuation, sexual attraction |
| I love my mother a lot. I love the countryside more than the city. I love pizza. It is my favorite food. I love my brother; he is also like my best friend. I love everything about this place. |
Examples of expression | I am in love with her; she is so beautiful. I think I’m falling in love with Jose. Jessica and I are in love with each other. We were in love, but our relationship didn’t work out. |
What Does Love Mean?
In general, love is everything that can bring you happiness. This happy, secure, and affectionate feeling brings joy to everything you do.
Love is the pure feeling you share with your parents, siblings, friends, and other people close to you, and you love spending time.
It is also the feeling of purest joy. For instance, when you say, “I love ice cream,” or, “I love my cat,” this is not a feeling of infatuation or romantic love.
Examples of How Love is Used
- I love reading fantasy novels.
- I love going on long drives.
- I love my aunt as much as I love my mother.
- Kids love chocolates.
- She is my best friend, and I love her a lot.
- I would love to be a part of this conference.
- I love having mangoes; they are my favorite food.
- My grandmother loves me the most among all her grandkids.
American English speakers will use the word love in a very generic way. It does not mean falling in love with someone.
It may not always indicate romantic love if you say that you love someone. You can use the word to express respect, affection, liking, fondness, and similar emotions for someone.
Example: I love Coach Kerr. He really knows what he’s doing on the basketball court.
What Does In Love Mean?
Being in love with someone is an entirely different feeling from the type of love you share with your parents or friends.
When you meet a person and build a relationship, you can feel an emotional connection, emotional attachment, or a sexual attraction that separates him/her from the rest of your life. This is called falling in love.
Being In Love
This is a state of commitment with your partner where you overlook the opposite partner’s flaws or learn to work through aspects you don’t like.
Loving someone means sharing a romantic relationship with that person. Such a feeling brings you so much joy with simply being able to spend more time with them, to be able to listen to their voice, etc.
The feeling strikes when you meet someone with the same compatibility and interests, and usually there is also some physical attraction.
The Honeymoon Phase
People call the beginning phase of such a relationship as the honeymoon phase because it’s full of excitement, thrill, and energy. People confess such a kind of love by saying I love you or I’m in love with you.
People stay engrossed in their romantic partners and lose count of time and place. However, the period is often short-lived, but it also builds the foundation for a stronger and long-term relationship.
Even though the spark of such a new relationship fades with time, the person with who you fell in love will continue to make you feel secure, and there will be long-term love. This takes effort and grace, though, from both partners.
Infatuation vs. In Love
But that’s not always true in everybody’s case. Sometimes after the honeymoon period gets over, and when reality strikes you, you tend to see the cons of the relationship.
The strong feeling you initially felt was an infatuation, so the relationship might be short-lived. Being in love means you’re willing to work through the boring and low points. Still, some couples who are in love aren’t able to work through certain struggles, and they need to break up.
Love vs. In Love
The simple way to remember is that love is a generic expression of fondness, liking, and warmth for close people in your life.
Usually, being in love refers to being with one other person at a certain phase of your life. When you fall for someone, you want to take care of that person and make her/him feel protected and loved. This is sometimes referred to as true love.
Generic love and romantic love are very different feelings, so we can’t use the words interchangeably.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, check out our post on the difference between pansexual and bisexual.