Love vs. Passion — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 10, 2023
Love is a deep, enduring affection and attachment, while Passion is an intense, short-lived emotion or desire.

Difference Between Love and Passion
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Love is often seen as a profound feeling of warmth, comfort, and attachment towards someone or something. It can encompass a variety of feelings, ranging from romantic love for a partner to platonic love for a friend. Passion, on the other hand, is a more fiery, immediate feeling often associated with desire, enthusiasm, or obsession for something or someone.

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Sep 10, 2023
In relationships, Love is what often remains consistent and grows over time, becoming a bedrock of trust, mutual respect, and understanding. Passion, conversely, tends to flare up and might fade with time, characterized by intense physical attraction and infatuation.

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Sep 10, 2023
Love can be unconditional and often withstands the test of time, forgiving flaws, understanding differences, and seeking the well-being of the loved one. Passion might be conditional, driven by circumstances, specific interests, or external factors, and can sometimes burn out as swiftly as it ignited.

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Sep 10, 2023
While Love typically implies a calm depth of emotion, Passion suggests fervor and zeal. For instance, one might love their job due to a feeling of fulfillment and purpose, but have a passion for a specific project or aspect of that job, approaching it with unmatched enthusiasm.

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Sep 10, 2023
Comparison Chart
Nature
Deep, enduring affection
Intense, short-lived emotion

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Duration
Long-term
Often temporary

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Common Context
Relationships, attachment
Desires, interests

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Emotional Intensity
Calm depth
Fiery fervor

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Condition
Often unconditional
Can be conditional

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Compare with Definitions
Love
Love is a deep affection towards someone or something.
She has a genuine love for animals.

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Sep 06, 2023
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Passion
Passion is an intense desire or enthusiasm for something.
He has a passion for painting.

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Sep 06, 2023
Love
Love can represent a warm personal attachment or fondness.
The love between a mother and child is incomparable.

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Sep 06, 2023
Passion
Passion signifies a strong and barely controllable emotion.
Her passion for justice led her to law school.

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Sep 06, 2023
Love
Love signifies an attachment based on mutual respect.
Their love was built on trust and understanding.

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Passion
Passion can mean a state of outburst of strong emotion.
They argued with such passion and intensity.

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Love
Love can denote a term of endearment.
Don't worry, love, everything will be okay.

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Passion
Passion can refer to the suffering or death of Jesus.
The Passion is commemorated during Easter.

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Love
Love can refer to a passionate attraction and intimacy.
Their love story started in college.

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Passion
Strong and barely controllable emotion
A man of impetuous passion

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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.

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Passion
The suffering and death of Jesus
Meditations on the Passion of Christ

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Love
A strong feeling of affection and concern toward another person, as that arising from kinship or close friendship.

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Passion
Strong or powerful emotion
A crime of passion.

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Love
A feeling of devotion or adoration toward God or a god.

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Passion
A powerful emotion, such as anger or joy
A spirit governed by intense passions.

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Love
A feeling of kindness or concern by God or a god toward humans.

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Passion
The object of such desire or love
She became his passion.

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Love
Often Love(Christianity) Charity.

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Passion
Boundless enthusiasm
His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game.

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Love
An instance of being in love
Teenage loves can be as fleeting as they are intense.

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Passion
The object of such enthusiasm
Soccer is her passion.

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Love
A person for whom one has strong feelings of affection
She met her new love at the restaurant.

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Passion
An abandoned display of emotion, especially of anger
He's been known to fly into a passion without warning.

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Love
Used as a term of endearment for such a person.

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Passion
The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament.

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Love
An intense emotional attachment to something, as to a pet or treasured object.

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Passion
A narrative, musical setting, or pictorial representation of Jesus's sufferings.

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Love
An expression of one's affection
Send him my love.

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Passion
Martyrdom
The passion of Saint Margaret.

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Love
A strong predilection or enthusiasm
A love of language.
Love for the game of golf.

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Passion
A true desire sustained or prolonged.

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Love
The object of such an enthusiasm
The outdoors is her greatest love.

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Passion
Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate.
We share a passion for books.

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Love
Love(Mythology) Eros or Cupid.

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Passion
Fervor, determination.

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Love
(Sports) A score of zero, as in tennis.

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Passion
An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.
It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion.

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Love
To feel love for (a person)
We love our parents. I love my friends.

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Passion
The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion.

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Love
To feel devotion to (God or a god).

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Passion
A display, musical composition, or play meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus.

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Love
To feel or show kindness or concern to (a person). Used of God or a god.

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Passion
(obsolete) Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress.
A cardiac passion

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Love
To have an intense emotional attachment to
Loves his house.

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Passion
(obsolete) The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition

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Love
To embrace or caress
They were loving each other on the sofa.

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Passion
(obsolete) The capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.

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Love
To like or desire enthusiastically
Loves swimming.

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Passion
(obsolete) An innate attribute, property, or quality of a thing.
[...] to obtain the knowledge of some passion of the circle.

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Love
To thrive on; need
The cactus loves hot, dry air.

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Passion
(obsolete) Disorder of the mind; madness.

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Love
(uncountable) A deep caring for the existence of another.

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Passion
(obsolete) To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.

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Love
(uncountable) Strong affection.

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Passion
(transitive) To give a passionate character to.

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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.

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Passion
A suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress (as, a cardiac passion); specifically, the suffering of Christ between the time of the last supper and his death, esp. in the garden upon the cross.
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs.

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Love
Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being.

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Passion
The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition; - opposed to action.
A body at rest affords us no idea of any active power to move, and, when set in motion, it is rather a passion than an action in it.

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Love
A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.
I have never been in love as much as I have with you.

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Passion
Capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
Moldable and not moldable, scissible and not scissible, and many other passions of matter.

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Love
A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.
My love of cricket knows no bounds.

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Oct 24, 2021
Passion
The state of the mind when it is powerfully acted upon and influenced by something external to itself; the state of any particular faculty which, under such conditions, becomes extremely sensitive or uncontrollably excited; any emotion or sentiment (specifically, love or anger) in a state of abnormal or controlling activity; an extreme or inordinate desire; also, the capacity or susceptibility of being so affected; as, to be in a passion; the passions of love, hate, jealously, wrath, ambition, avarice, fear, etc.; a passion for war, or for drink; an orator should have passion as well as rhetorical skill.
We also are men of like passions with you.
The nature of the human mind can not be sufficiently understood, without considering the affections and passions, or those modifications or actions of the mind consequent upon the apprehension of certain objects or events in which the mind generally conceives good or evil.
The term passion, and its adverb passionately, often express a very strong predilection for any pursuit, or object of taste - a kind of enthusiastic fondness for anything.
The bravery of his grief did put meInto a towering passion.
The ruling passion, be it what it will,The ruling passion conquers reason still.
Who walked in every path of human life,Felt every passion.
When statesmen are ruled by faction and interest, they can have no passion for the glory of their country.

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Love
(countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.

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Passion
Disorder of the mind; madness.

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Love
A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.
Hello love, how can I help you?

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Passion
Passion week. See Passion week, below.

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Love
A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.

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Passion
To give a passionate character to.

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Love
An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair.

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Passion
To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.

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Love
Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young.

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Passion
Strong feeling or emotion

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Love
(obsolete) A thin silk material.

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Passion
Intense passion or emotion

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Love
A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba.

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Passion
Something that is desired intensely;
His rage for fame destroyed him

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Love
Zero, no score.
So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.

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Passion
An irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action

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Love
Nothing; no recompense.

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Passion
Any object of warm affection or devotion;
The theater was her first love
He has a passion for cock fighting

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Love
To have a strong affection for (someone or something).
I love my spouse.
I love you!
I love that song!

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Passion
The suffering of Jesus at the crucifixion

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Love
(transitive) To need, thrive on.
Mold loves moist, dark places.

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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

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Love
To care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).

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Love
(transitive) To derive delight from a fact or situation.
I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.

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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.

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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.

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Love
Affection; kind feeling; friendship; strong liking or desire; fondness; good will; - opposed to hate; often with of and an object.
Love, and health to all.
Smit with the love of sacred song.
The love of science faintly warmed his breast.

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Love
Due gratitude and reverence to God.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.

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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.

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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.

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Love
A thin silk stuff.

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Love
A climbing species of Clematis (Clematis Vitalba).

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Love
Nothing; no points scored on one side; - used in counting score at tennis, etc.
He won the match by three sets to love.

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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.

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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.

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Love
To have the feeling of love; to be in love.

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Love
A strong positive emotion of regard and affection;
His love for his work
Children need a lot of love

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Love
Any object of warm affection or devotion;
The theater was her first love
He has a passion for cock fighting

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Love
A beloved person; used as terms of endearment

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Love
A score of zero in tennis or squash;
It was 40 love

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Love
Have a great affection or liking for;
I love French food
She loves her boss and works hard for him

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Love
Get pleasure from;
I love cooking

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Love
Be enamored or in love with;
She loves her husband deeply

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Common Curiosities
How is Passion typically manifested?
Passion is manifested as an intense, often fiery emotion, enthusiasm, or desire for something or someone.

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Sep 10, 2023
What is the essence of Love?
Love is a deep and enduring affection and attachment towards someone or something.

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Sep 10, 2023
Can Passion turn into Love?
Yes, in some cases, initial passion can evolve into deeper love as people get to know each other better.

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Sep 10, 2023
Are there different types of Love?
Yes, there are various types such as romantic love, platonic love, familial love, and self-love, among others.

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Sep 10, 2023
Does Love always lead to happiness?
Not always. Love can bring joy and fulfillment, but it can also bring challenges, misunderstandings, and sometimes pain.

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Sep 10, 2023
Is Passion always related to romantic relationships?
No, passion can relate to hobbies, work, causes, and many other areas of life, not just romantic relationships.

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Is Passion a fleeting emotion?
Often, yes. Passion can be intense but short-lived, especially if not nurtured or complemented by other emotions.

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Can Love exist without Passion?
Yes, love can exist without passion, especially in long-term relationships where deep understanding and attachment are more prominent.

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Can Passion fade over time?
Yes, passion, especially in the context of relationships, can diminish over time but might be replaced or accompanied by deeper love.

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Are there negative connotations to Passion?
While passion is often positive, it can also denote obsessive or uncontrollable emotions which may not always be beneficial.

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What sustains Love in the long term?
Factors like mutual respect, trust, understanding, and shared experiences often sustain love in the long run.

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Can one have a passion for activities or hobbies?
Absolutely! Many people have a deep passion for activities, hobbies, or causes that drive them.

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Are Love and Passion mutually exclusive?
No, they can coexist. A relationship, for instance, can have deep love and fiery passion simultaneously.

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Sep 10, 2023
How does Love differ in intensity from Passion?
Love implies a calm, deep emotional connection, while passion suggests more immediate and fervent intensity.

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Sep 10, 2023
Does Love require effort to maintain?
Yes, maintaining love, especially in relationships, often requires effort, understanding, and communication.

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Sep 10, 2023
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.