Fondness vs. Love — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 25, 2024
Fondness is a warm affection or liking for someone or something, while love is a deeper, more intense emotional bond that often includes commitment and intimacy.
Difference Between Fondness and Love
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fondness involves a sense of affection or liking that one may feel towards friends, acquaintances, or even objects, whereas love is a profound, emotional, and often passionate attachment typically reserved for closer personal relationships.
While fondness can be expressed through admiration or gentle affection, love encompasses a range of feelings including deep attachment, passion, and a strong desire to be with someone.
A fondness for someone might manifest as enjoyment in their company or appreciation of their qualities, on the other hand, love goes beyond mere appreciation to include a significant personal commitment and connection.
Whereas fondness is generally considered less intense and may not require a long-term commitment, love often implies a deeper commitment and is associated with a longer-term engagement and personal sacrifice.
While you can have a fondness for things like foods, places, or hobbies, love is typically directed towards people, involving deeper layers of emotional investment and care.
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Comparison Chart
Intensity
Mild, gentle affection
Deep, intense emotional attachment
Commitment
Not necessarily required
Often involves long-term commitment
Focus
Can be towards people or objects
Primarily towards people
Emotional Depth
Relatively shallow
Very profound and complex
Associated Terms
Liking, affection, warmth
Passion, intimacy, devotion
Compare with Definitions
Fondness
Amiable attachment to something.
Her fondness for classic literature was well-known.
Love
Intense feeling of deep affection.
His love for her was evident in his every action.
Fondness
Feeling of liking or affection.
She had a special fondness for old gardens.
Love
Profound attachment and personal commitment.
Their love has grown stronger over the years.
Fondness
A predilection towards something.
His fondness for spicy food made dinner choices easy.
Love
Unselfish, loyal concern for the good of another.
Her love for her children was her guiding force.
Fondness
Gentle affection.
There was a fondness in her eyes whenever she spoke of her hometown.
Love
A great interest and pleasure in something.
He has a love for painting that is unmatched.
Fondness
A state of being fond.
His fondness for his old teacher was evident.
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food.
Fondness
Having a strong liking, inclination, or affection
Fond of ballet.
Fond of my nieces and nephews.
Love
A strong feeling of affection and concern toward another person, as that arising from kinship or close friendship.
Fondness
Affectionate; tender
A fond embrace.
Love
A feeling of devotion or adoration toward God or a god.
Fondness
Immoderately affectionate or indulgent; doting
Fond grandparents who tended to spoil the child.
Love
A feeling of kindness or concern by God or a god toward humans.
Fondness
Cherished; dear
My fondest hopes.
Love
Often Love(Christianity) Charity.
Fondness
(Archaic) Naively credulous or foolish.
Love
An instance of being in love
Teenage loves can be as fleeting as they are intense.
Fondness
The quality of being fond: liking something, foolishness; doting affection; propensity.
Love
A person for whom one has strong feelings of affection
She met her new love at the restaurant.
Fondness
The quality or state of being fond; foolishness.
Fondness it were for any, being free, To covet fetters, though they golden be.
Love
Used as a term of endearment for such a person.
Fondness
Doting affection; tender liking; strong appetite, propensity, or relish; as, he had a fondness for truffles.
My heart had still some foolish fondness for thee.
Love
An intense emotional attachment to something, as to a pet or treasured object.
Fondness
A predisposition to like something;
He had a fondness for whiskey
Love
An expression of one's affection
Send him my love.
Fondness
A positive feeling of liking;
He had trouble expressing the affection he felt
The child won everyone's heart
Love
A strong predilection or enthusiasm
A love of language.
Love for the game of golf.
Fondness
A quality proceeding from feelings of affection or love
Love
The object of such an enthusiasm
The outdoors is her greatest love.
Love
Love(Mythology) Eros or Cupid.
Love
(Sports) A score of zero, as in tennis.
Love
To feel love for (a person)
We love our parents. I love my friends.
Love
To feel devotion to (God or a god).
Love
To feel or show kindness or concern to (a person). Used of God or a god.
Love
To have an intense emotional attachment to
Loves his house.
Love
To embrace or caress
They were loving each other on the sofa.
Love
(uncountable) A deep caring for the existence of another.
Love
(uncountable) Strong affection.
Love
A profound and caring affection towards someone.
A mother’s love is not easily shaken.
My husband’s love is the most important thing in my life.
Love
Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being.
Love
A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.
I have never been in love as much as I have with you.
Love
A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.
My love of cricket knows no bounds.
Love
(countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.
Love
A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.
Hello love, how can I help you?
Love
A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.
Love
An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair.
Love
Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young.
Love
(obsolete) A thin silk material.
Love
A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba.
Love
Zero, no score.
So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.
Love
Nothing; no recompense.
Love
To have a strong affection for (someone or something).
I love my spouse.
I love you!
I love that song!
Love
(transitive) To need, thrive on.
Mold loves moist, dark places.
Love
(transitive) To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.
I love walking barefoot on wet grass;
I'd love to join the team;
I love what you've done with your hair
Love
To care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).
Love
(transitive) To derive delight from a fact or situation.
I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.
Love
A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preëminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness; as, the love of brothers and sisters.
Of all the dearest bonds we proveThou countest sons' and mothers' loveMost sacred, most Thine own.
Love
Courtship; - chiefly in the phrase to make love, i. e., to court, to woo, to solicit union in marriage.
Demetrius . . . Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,And won her soul.
Love
Due gratitude and reverence to God.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.
Love
The object of affection; - often employed in endearing address; as, he held his love in his arms; his greatest love was reading.
Open the temple gates unto my love.
Love
Cupid, the god of love; sometimes, Venus.
Such was his form as painters, when they showTheir utmost art, on naked Lores bestow.
Therefore do nimble-pinioned doves draw Love.
Love
A thin silk stuff.
Love
A climbing species of Clematis (Clematis Vitalba).
Love
Nothing; no points scored on one side; - used in counting score at tennis, etc.
He won the match by three sets to love.
Love
To have a feeling of love for; to regard with affection or good will; as, to love one's children and friends; to love one's country; to love one's God.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self.
Love
To take delight or pleasure in; to have a strong liking or desire for, or interest in; to be pleased with; to like; as, to love books; to love adventures.
Wit, eloquence, and poetry.Arts which I loved.
Love
To have the feeling of love; to be in love.
Love
A strong positive emotion of regard and affection;
His love for his work
Children need a lot of love
Love
Any object of warm affection or devotion;
The theater was her first love
He has a passion for cock fighting
Love
A beloved person; used as terms of endearment
Love
A score of zero in tennis or squash;
It was 40 love
Love
Have a great affection or liking for;
I love French food
She loves her boss and works hard for him
Love
Get pleasure from;
I love cooking
Love
Be enamored or in love with;
She loves her husband deeply
Common Curiosities
What differentiates fondness from love?
Fondness is a mild, gentle affection, while love is a deeper, more intense emotional bond.
Is fondness necessary for love?
Fondness often forms a component of love, as it includes liking and affection.
Can you feel fondness without love?
Yes, it’s possible to feel fondness without the deeper emotional commitments associated with love.
How do you express love?
Through acts of kindness, commitment, spending significant time together, and often through physical or emotional intimacy.
What are the signs of love?
Deep attachment, passion, commitment, and a desire to maintain a close connection.
Why is love considered a stronger emotion?
Because it involves deeper emotional investments and often personal sacrifice.
What role does fondness play in friendships?
It helps maintain and strengthen bonds through mutual liking and enjoyment of each other’s company.
Can love exist without fondness?
It’s unusual, as love typically includes an element of fondness or affection.
What emotions are associated with fondness?
Warmth, affection, and a liking towards someone or something.
How do you express fondness?
Through kind gestures, words of appreciation, and spending time together.
Can fondness evolve into love?
Yes, fondness can sometimes develop into deeper love as relationships grow.
Is love always romantic?
Not necessarily; love can also be platonic, familial, or altruistic.
What makes love unique from other emotions?
Its depth, complexity, and the profound personal impact it has on individuals.
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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
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
