Ways To Say "Love"
You may have experienced the power of the words “I love you.” If you’ve had the pleasure of having a romantic partner say them to you, you may never forget how it sounded or how it made you feel the first time you heard it.
Love has an expression in hundreds of languages around the world. Love may also be an unspoken language where lovers communicate their feelings with the gaze of their eyes, the softness of their touch, or the kindness of their actions. At times, the word “love” is tossed around without deep meaning.
The ancient Greeks were thought to be the first population to study the concept of love in detail. They theorized that people express love in eight different ways. You may find new words to add to your love dictionary by exploring each category, as we’ve discussed words related to each of the eight types of love below.
Types of love
As Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
The ancient Greeks came up with eight words for love, including:
- Eros
- Philia
- Storge
- Ludus
- Mania
- Pragma
- Philautia
- Agape
Each word of love in Greek may be reserved for different types of relationships, whether with romantic partners, family, or friends. Some types of love extend to multiple people, while others may not.
Learning the meanings behind each kind of love could allow you to express your emotions more openly with the people you care for, whether that includes your parents, sister, boyfriend, or another loved one.
Eros love
Eros was named after the Greek god of love and fertility. Eros love is often referred to as erotic love or sexual love. It may speak to strong primal love and sexual feelings of desire that rise without warning naturally. It often involves passion for another person. Eros love is also often called an unharnessed expression of love. Some would say that it’s love out of control.
To express yourself in terms of eros love, you might use the following phrases:
- “You’re so hot!”
- “You smell amazing; it’s really turning me on.”
- “You’re spicing things up tonight.”
- “You look so sexy.”
- “You look incredible in that dress.”
- “You, the music, and the wine are so seductive.”
Philia love
In the Greek language, philia love is affectionate or brotherly love. It can mean love for a friend or fellow human being. Philia love was highly valued in Greece because it described the love between equals. Philia love means showing benevolence, friendship, and camaraderie. This type of fondness and affection for another can be very impactful, and it can be a part of the type of friendship that you may cherish throughout your life.
When you speak to your partner in ways that show care, compassion, love, and respect, you may be speaking in philia love. Regarding couples, philia love can mean you consider your partner a trusted, loyal friend, even aside from your romantic feelings and true love for them.
Express philia love to your partner by sending a loving text or saying something sweet, like the following phrases:
- “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
- “Did you sleep well last night?”
- “I want you to hold me right now.”
- “Can we take a walk and hold hands along the way?”
- “You look tired. Why don’t you go take a rest?”
- “There’s no need to worry. I’ve got this.”
- “Take time for yourself and do whatever you want today.”
- “Thanks for being my best friend.”
Storge love
Storge love is familiar love. It doesn’t have to do with chemistry or sexual attraction. Instead, this form of love is often focused on kinship, family, biology, and instinct. It may be described as a comfortable love that feels safe. It may involve strong liking of the individuals in your biological or chosen family, and it can also involve devotion and loyalty for others.
Examples of storge love could sound like this:
- “I’ll have dinner ready when you get home from work.”
- “I put gas in your car for you because I know you’re running late.”
- “I can tell you’re not feeling well. I’ll grab a bite to eat on the way home so you can rest.”
- “I love you, mom.”
- “You’re such a good parent to our children.”
Ludus love
Ludus is playful love with a dash of eros love. Young lovers are often described as playful and flirtatious. Ludus love can be about showing your partner that you can have fun. You might think back to your first love or times when you experienced puppy love to understand this playful type of affection.
Couples may lose some of that ludus spirit the longer they’re together. If your romantic relationship feels stuck in storge love, you may be able to spice it back up with ludus love.
Here are some ludus words that can be meaningful to your partner:
- “The meal was wonderful, but you are even better.”
- “I’m going to shower and would love some company.”
- “I’m tired. Will you come along to tuck me in?”
- “I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.”
Mania love
Mania is often described as obsessive love. It is not to be confused with the symptom of mania that may be experienced by someone experiencing bipolar disorder. When you experience mania love, you may feel that you strongly adore someone or that you could fall deeply for them. It may be challenging to spend a moment without them, and you may feel incredibly lucky to have them in your life.
In this sense, mania love doesn’t necessarily mean that your love causes your behavior to spiral out of control or harm you or others. It often means you are consumed by the feelings you’re experiencing as someone in love.
Mania love may sound like this:
- “I love you more than words.”
- “I can’t bear to go without you.”
- “You are my world.”
- “You are my everything.”
- “I have to have you.”
- “My whole world revolves around you.”
Words for pragma love that can express romantic feelings
Pragma love is described as enduring, mature love that has been nurtured and taken many years to develop. It’s the kind of love that many couples may actively work on. Pragma love can require a considerable level of trust and patience.
According to studies, commitment and communication are two necessary ingredients for long-term, lasting connections, and they don’t do well without each other. A successful love story usually involves pragma love as it can be a greater love than some of the other forms, which may be more based on beauty or surface-level factors.
With pragma love, you may accept and love someone just as they are, flaws and all. You might grow to love their flaws as well. Express pragma love to your special someone by using similar words to the following:
- “Let’s take a vacation where we can spend quality time together.”
- “I don’t care what we do as long as I am with you.”
- “After all these years, I still love you.”
- “I wouldn’t want to live this life with anyone but you.”
Philautia love
Philautia love can mean understanding that you need to have some degree of love for yourself to be present with others. It’s not a love of money or possessions that make you happy, but having a soft spot for your own needs and abilities.
Instead, philautia often describes feeling happy and content with yourself so that you’re open to loving others in the same way you love yourself. Philautia gives you a sense of freedom in love.
Here are some examples of phrases that express philautia love:
- “I have it in my heart to overlook your poor choice of words.”
- “I understand that your actions were unintentional.”
- “I know what it’s like to be in your shoes.”
- “Wherever I go, I’ll bloom where I’m planted as long as I’m with you.”
- “I put everything I have into this relationship with you.”
Agape love
Agape love is often considered the most wholesome, unconditional type of love. Some individuals may describe agape love as spiritual or related to their belief in God. Agape love doesn’t necessarily bring any expectations, conditions, or ties into the relationship. Synonyms for agape love may include boundless or all-encompassing love.
Agape love may make you feel that if you love someone, you will try your best not to envy them, make them angry, put them down, or hurt them. Agape love is said to persevere through the most severe trials, regardless of what has happened throughout the course of the relationship.
To express agape, consider using phrases that express unconditional love and commitment, such as:
- “I love you just as you are.”
- “I promise to love you all the days of my life.”
- “My love for you knows no bounds.”
- “I promise to love you in times of joy and sorrow, in times of failure and triumph, as long as we both shall live.”
- “You are the love of my life.”
When love becomes challening: How to navigate romantic relationship challenges
If you’re having issues in your relationship or struggling to express love to those in your life, speaking with a therapist may help. Talking about your relationships with others in your life might feel too personal or risky. You may worry that they’ll tell your concerns, secrets, and doubts to others. A therapist can help ease those fears by giving you a supportive individual to turn to.
If you’re unsure if you have the time for counseling, consider online therapy. Online therapy can be highly effective for those wanting to improve their relationships, individually or as a couple. A recent study focused on individuals in romantic relationships and found that both anxiety and avoidance dimensions were reduced as they participated in online therapy. They also found that the individuals’ self-esteem significantly increased and psychiatric symptoms lessened.
Whether it’s relationship hurdles or individual struggles you’d like to work on, consider trying an online platform such as BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples.
Takeaway
Read more below to see answers to questions commonly asked about this topic.
- Infatuation may be a better description of the strong positive feelings experienced in the early stages of a relationship. Some psychological theories of love suggest that deep love requires the kind of intimacy that can only be developed by getting to know someone over time.
- Adoration can mean an especially intense feeling of love, admiration, and respect. To adore someone may also mean to shower them with attention and affection.
- Passion may be a better word for erotic love, infatuation, or any situation in which you want to emphasize the intensity of your emotions toward someone or something. Some people may also use it to describe something personally meaningful to them, such as an artistic calling or a treasured hobby.
- Devotion can indicate a strong sense of attachment, often including a willingness to sacrifice personal desires for the good of someone or something else. This can be a better word for the love felt toward a cherished value, ideal, religious figure, or institution. It can be a good way to describe love that doesn’t include erotic desire, though the word doesn’t necessarily imply an absence of physical attraction.
- Tenderness describes a sense of fondness toward someone weaker or more vulnerable than the speaker, with connotations such as care, compassion, and defend. It’s often a good word for gentle, nurturing love.
- Enthusiasm might be a better word for love if you’re describing how happy a particular activity or experience makes you.
It can be difficult to give a simple definition of love, since the word can have so many possible meanings. The following 5-word definitions can describe different senses of love:
Noun
- Strong romantic or erotic desire
- Happiness at someone else’s happiness
- Mutual intimacy, desire, and commitment
- Deep positive regard and trust
- An enduring bond of affection
Verb
- Feel deep affection toward something
- Wish the best for someone
- See the best in someone
- Appreciate someone or something deeply
- Express tenderness, desire, or devotion
Many similar words can express the idea of love in stronger terms. Many of them carry additional connotations that specify a particular kind of love. For example:
- Cherish. This verb can mean having a deep sense of attachment and affection toward someone or something.
- Yearning. A word that can convey an urgent sense of unfulfilled desire — this can be a good way to express unrequited love or longing.
- Enchanted. This can mean that you’re powerfully attracted to someone or impressed with their looks or personality.
- Romance. A “romance” can be a stronger word for a love story, either fictional or between real people, emphasizing their intimate feelings for each other.
- Adore. This word can denote love with extra intensity, expressing someone’s strong attachment and admiration for another.
- Delight. The word “delight” can be a noun meaning someone or something that gives immense joy. You can also say you “delight in” something, which means it inspires extreme happiness and enjoyment.
- Worship. This word conveys such a strong sense of attachment and admiration that it may suggest an unhealthy attitude when used about a romantic relationship. It could indicate that someone doesn’t recognize the flaws in their beloved or is mistaking their idealized image of love for reality. However, it can also be used poetically to describe extremely strong love.
- Ardor. You can use this word to describe the passionate lust that can be a part of certain kinds of love, as well as the sense of urgency that comes with it.
There are many ways to convey your love for someone in words. This may involve using the terms described above, or similar poetic words. That said, showing love may not always be a matter of finding the perfect phrase.
Sometimes, the most powerful way to tell someone you love them is to simply discuss the positive feelings and thoughts you have about them.
For a romantic partner, this could mean saying things like:
- “My life is so much better with you.”
- “I look forward to seeing you every day.”
- “You light up my world.”
- “Thinking of you always makes me smile.”
- “You’re the greatest guy/girl I’ve ever been with.”
- “Everything is more fun when I do it with you.”
For a family member or friend, it could involve things like:
- “You help me so much.”
- “Seeing you happy makes me happy.”
- “I’m so proud of you.”
- “I’m always glad when we get to spend time together.”
- “I’m glad to have you in my life.”
You may also be able to express love by showing care for someone and sensitivity to their needs. Asking how you can help, inviting them to discuss their feelings, or reminding them of their personal strengths can all be ways to show love through words.
There’s no single accepted definition of “true love”. When people use this phrase, they often mean a kind of love that’s intense, committed, and right for the people involved.
Some words related to true love might include:
- Deep
- Real
- Enriching
- Transcendent
- Passionate
- Tender
- Faithful
- Devoted
- Inspiring
- Compassionate
- Intense
- Unshakeable
- Resilient
The difference between real love and a fleeting attraction or infatuation can be hard to define. But many relationship experts suggest that it comes down to a combination of qualities like loyalty, trust, understanding, and commitment.
Affection may deepen into love over the course of time, as two people discuss joys and challenges while learning to accept each other as complete human beings. This probably won’t mean that they have no arguments or difficulties. However, it can mean that they’re determined to work through their problems together.
When people discuss “love languages”, they usually mean a particular style of expressing love and affection. There are several common love languages, and there’s at least some research confirming the idea that relationships tend to be stronger when partners make an effort to learn and use each other’s preferred ways of expressing tenderness.
When someone asks you what your love language is and you’re not sure of the answer, you can try thinking back on what commonly makes you interpret love and care from another. Do you feel the greatest sense of love when your partner:
- Tells you all the things they like about you? (Often called the love language of words of affirmation)
- Does things to make your life easier or make you happy? (Acts of service as a love language)
- Gives you thoughtful presents (Gifts as a love language)
- Hugs, kisses, or otherwise displays physical attention to you? (Physical touch as a love language)
- Looks for opportunities to spend time with you or engage in similar activities? (Quality time as a love language)
These categories are not mutually exclusive — one person can appreciate multiple love languages. And there may be many more ways of expressing love not described by the five common types listed above.
Regardless, understanding the way you tend to show love and the way you prefer to receive it may be a way to learn more about yourself. Meanwhile, recognizing those things about your partner could help you signal your feelings in a way they’ll appreciate.
There are many possible ways to define love. Some consider it a kind of feeling toward other people, characterized by things like fondness, trust, sympathy, care, and sometimes desire. Others may believe that love is more about how you act toward someone — that the true mark of love is behaving toward someone with respect and compassion.
Psychologists often define love as a combination of feelings such as:
- Intimacy/ trust
- Connection/mutual compatibility
- Respect /admiration
- Loyalty/commitment/fidelity
- Attraction/desire
Others consider love a biological drive for connection that can motivate a variety of feelings and behaviors.
Keep in mind that people with some orientations or identities may not feel a desire for sex, but still be capable of strong romantic love. The lack of physical attraction does not necessarily imply a lack of romantic connection.
Though we often use the word “love” as a synonym for the experience of romance, it can also describe the bonds between siblings, parents and children, and close friends. Paying attention to love languages may also strengthen these types of relationships.
If you notice that your friend feels cared for when you build them up with encouraging words, or that your mother appreciates quality time with you, there’s no reason not to use that understanding to nurture and improve your connection.
Deep love can be one of the most powerful psychological forces in the human mind. However, some other feelings or thoughts may be stronger for some individuals.
For some people, a sense of moral duty may take a higher priority than personal feelings of love. The same may be true of strong religious convictions. Others may place a greater value on friendships than romantic connections (though the link between friends could also be considered a form of love).
In the end, every individual may have a unique answer to the question of which values are strongest for them. Some may believe that love conquers all, while others may see it as just one of many important parts of life.
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