dislike

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To find someone or something unpleasant and not enjoy having it around.

   Grammar: Takes an object or an -ing form: dislike cold weather, dislike waiting.

   Patterns

   • dislike something
   • dislike doing something
   • dislike someone for something

   I dislike crowded buses in the morning.

   She disliked him immediately for his rude manner.

   Many children dislike eating spinach.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   A feeling of not liking someone or something, or a thing you do not like.

   Grammar: Often used with for or of; plural in the phrase likes and dislikes.

   Patterns

   • a dislike of something
   • a dislike for someone
   • likes and dislikes

   He has a strong dislike of loud music.

   Their dislike for each other was obvious.

   Write down your likes and dislikes before you choose a menu.

Word forms

Common combinations

strongly dislike

I strongly dislike being kept waiting.

intensely dislike

He intensely disliked his first manager.

a strong dislike

She has a strong dislike of spiders.

likes and dislikes

The form asked about my likes and dislikes.

take a dislike to

The cat took an instant dislike to the new puppy.

Synonyms and how they differ

hate

Hate is much stronger and more emotional than dislike.

detest

Detest is a strong, formal word for very strong dislike.

object to

Object to means to protest or oppose something, while dislike only means not liking it.

loathe

Loathe suggests disgust and is far stronger than dislike.

Opposites

Word family

disliked adjective

not liked by people

dislikable adjective

easy to dislike

like verb

to find pleasant

unlikable adjective

hard to like

Commonly confused: dislike or unlike?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dislike”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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