Gloss · Words · Limerence

limerence

ˈlɪmərənsnoun

What does limerence mean?

The obsessive, early stage of being in love, when you cannot stop thinking about someone.

Limerence, six ways

PlainThe obsessive, early stage of being in love, when you cannot stop thinking about someone.
ADHDCrush on overdrive. Can’t stop thinking about them. Every text is a sign.
Gen ZWhen you have a crush so hard you are reading into every emoji.
MetaphorA song stuck on repeat, and the song is a person.
FormalA state of involuntary romantic infatuation, marked by intrusive thoughts and a longing for reciprocation.
Like I’m 5When you like someone so much you think about them all day. That’s limerence.

How to pronounce limerence

LIM-er-unce/ˈlɪmərəns/

Limerence in a sentence

The first month was pure limerence.
Three weeks of limerence and she’d memorized his playlists.
Psychologists distinguish limerence from lasting love.

Synonyms for limerence

infatuationPlainer; can be brief or shallow.
crushCasual, and lighter.
obsessionStronger, and not always about love.

Where limerence comes from

Coined by the psychologist Dorothy Tennov in the 1970s; her book Love and Limerence came out in 1979.

Good to know

It names the intrusive, hopeful thinking of early love, before you know if it is returned. Crush is the everyday word; limerence is the one for how consuming it is.

Limerence meaning, on a Gloss card: The obsessive, early stage of being in love, when you cannot stop thinking about someone.

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Words like limerence

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In: Words for feelings · Words with a story