Enjoy vs. Please — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 11, 2024
Enjoy means to take delight or pleasure in an activity or experience, while please refers to causing happiness or satisfaction to someone else.
Difference Between Enjoy and Please
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Enjoy focuses on the personal experience of pleasure or satisfaction derived from an activity, object, or situation. On the other hand, please is outward-directed, concerning the ability to bring happiness, satisfaction, or comfort to someone else.
While enjoying something is often a solitary experience or one that involves personal gratification without the explicit intention to affect others, pleasing involves an interaction or an intention to impact someone else positively. Conversely, pleasing is inherently social, requiring at least another person to be the recipient of the action or behavior.
Enjoyment can occur without any external acknowledgment or validation, thriving purely on personal contentment. One can enjoy a quiet moment alone, find pleasure in solitary hobbies, or feel joy in achievements recognized only by oneself. However, the act of pleasing often seeks acknowledgment or appreciation, whether through a smile, a thank you, or any form of positive feedback. It's a reciprocal process where the pleasure is in knowing one has positively affected another's emotional state.
Comparison Chart
Focus
Inward (self)
Outward (others)
Nature
Personal satisfaction or pleasure
Causing happiness or satisfaction to others
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Dependency
Independent of others' reactions
Dependent on another's reaction
Activity Type
Can be solitary or communal
Inherently involves others
Feedback Needed
No
Yes, in the form of appreciation or acknowledgment
Compare with Definitions
Enjoy
To take pleasure in something.
She enjoys painting in her free time.
Please
To make someone happy or satisfied.
He cooks dinner to please his guests.
Enjoy
To make the most of an opportunity.
He enjoys every moment with his family.
Please
To intend or aim to satisfy.
They strive to please customers with their service.
Enjoy
To relish particular experiences.
They enjoy trying new foods from around the world.
Please
To be agreeable to someone.
The decision didn't please everyone.
Enjoy
To find satisfaction in an activity.
He enjoys hiking through the mountains.
Please
To act in a way that is desirable to others.
She always tries to please her boss with her work.
Enjoy
To be pleased by what one has.
She enjoys a good reputation in her field.
Please
To give pleasure or satisfaction.
This news will surely please his fans.
Enjoy
To receive pleasure or satisfaction from.
Please
Cause to feel happy and satisfied
It pleased him to be seen with someone in the news
He arranged a fishing trip to please his son
Enjoy
To have the use or benefit of
Enjoys good health.
Please
Take only one's own wishes into consideration in deciding how to act or proceed
This is the first time in ages that I can just please myself
Enjoy
To have a pleasurable or satisfactory time.
Please
Used in polite requests or questions
Please address letters to the Editor
What type of fish is this, please?
Enjoy
(transitive) To receive pleasure or satisfaction from something.
Enjoy your holidays!
I enjoy dancing.
Please
To give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to; make glad or contented.
Enjoy
(transitive) To have the use or benefit of something.
I plan to go travelling while I still enjoy good health.
Please
To be the will or desire of
May it please the court to admit this firearm as evidence.
Enjoy
To be satisfied or receive pleasure.
I enjoyed a lot.
Please
To give satisfaction or pleasure; be agreeable
Waiters who try hard to please.
Enjoy
To take pleasure or satisfaction in the possession or experience of; to feel or perceive with pleasure; to be delighted with; as, to enjoy the dainties of a feast; to enjoy conversation.
Please
To have the will or desire; wish
Do as you please. Sit down, if you please.
Enjoy
To have, possess, and use with satisfaction; to occupy or have the benefit of, as a good or profitable thing, or as something desirable; as, to enjoy a free constitution and religious liberty.
That the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.
To enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Please
If it is your desire or pleasure; if you please. Used in polite requests
Please stand back. Pay attention, please.
Enjoy
To take satisfaction; to live in happiness.
Please
Yes. Used in polite affirmative replies to offers
May I help you? Please.
Enjoy
Derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in;
She relished her fame and basked in her glory
Please
(ambitransitive) To make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to.
Her presentation pleased the executives.
I'm pleased to see you've been behaving yourself.
Our new range of organic foods is sure to please.
Enjoy
Have benefit from;
Enjoy privileges
Please
To desire; to will; to be pleased by.
Just do as you please.
He doesn't think, he just says whatever he pleases.
Enjoy
Get pleasure from;
I love cooking
Please
Used to make a polite request.
Please, pass the bread.
Would you please sign this form?
Could you tell me the time, please?
May I take your order, please?
Enjoy
Have for one's benefit;
The industry enjoyed a boom
Please
Used as an affirmative to an offer.
—May I help you? —(Yes,) please.
Enjoy
Take delight in;
He delights in his granddaughter
Please
An expression of annoyance or impatience.
Oh, please, do we have to hear that again?
Please
(Cincinnati) Said as a request to repeat information.
Please
To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy.
I pray to God that it may plesen you.
What next I bring shall please thee, be assured.
Please
To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will.
Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he.
A man doing as he wills, and doing as he pleases, are the same things in common speech.
Please
To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; - used impersonally.
To-morrow, may it please you.
Please
To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions.
What pleasing scemed, for her now pleases more.
For we that live to please, must please to live.
Please
To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent.
Heavenly stranger, please to tasteThese bounties.
That he would please 8give me my liberty.
Please
Give pleasure to or be pleasing to;
These colors please the senses
A pleasing sensation
Please
Be the will of or have the will (to);
He could do many things if he pleased
Please
Give satisfaction;
The waiters around her aim to please
Please
Used in polite request;
Please pay attention
Common Curiosities
How does pleasing someone work?
Pleasing someone involves actions or behaviors that bring happiness, satisfaction, or comfort to another person.
Is it possible to please someone without intending to?
Yes, one can unintentionally please others through actions or decisions that happen to align with their preferences or needs.
What does it mean to enjoy something?
Enjoying something means deriving pleasure, satisfaction, or happiness from an activity, experience, or object.
Do you need others' approval to enjoy something?
No, enjoyment is a personal feeling that doesn't necessarily require external validation or approval.
Are there professions focused on pleasing others?
Many service-oriented professions, such as hospitality, customer service, and healthcare, focus on pleasing others as a core aspect of their work.
Can you enjoy pleasing others?
Yes, many people find joy and satisfaction in making others happy, thus enjoying the act of pleasing.
Does pleasing someone always require effort?
Pleasing someone can require effort, especially when trying to meet their expectations or needs, but it can also be achieved through simple, thoughtful actions.
Can something please everyone?
It's challenging to please everyone due to individual preferences and differences, but some actions or decisions may be widely appreciated.
How do cultural differences affect enjoyment and pleasing?
Cultural differences can significantly impact what people enjoy and how they seek to please others, reflecting diverse values and preferences.
Is it possible to enjoy something that doesn't please others?
Yes, individuals can enjoy activities or experiences that may not necessarily please others, highlighting personal preferences.
Is enjoyment always a solitary experience?
Not necessarily. While enjoyment can be solitary, people often enjoy shared experiences with others.
How do children learn the concept of pleasing?
Children learn to please through social interactions, observing and mimicking how others react positively to certain behaviors.
Can technology be designed to please?
Yes, technology, including apps and devices, is often designed with user satisfaction in mind, aiming to please through functionality and user experience.
Is there a difference between pleasing oneself and being selfish?
Pleasing oneself involves self-care and prioritizing personal happiness, which is healthy and necessary, whereas being selfish often entails disregarding others' needs or happiness.
Can the desire to please become problematic?
While pleasing others is generally positive, an excessive desire to please can lead to neglecting one's own needs or values.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
