Dislike: The Mildest Way to Say No Thank You
To dislike is to find something unpleasant. It is deliberately mild, which is why it does the polite work that stronger words cannot.
Dislike is the low end of the scale. Its mildness is its usefulness: saying you dislike something states a preference without claiming any strength of feeling, which makes it the safest word in a disagreement.
- To find unpleasant. *I dislike crowded places.*
- A feeling of aversion (noun). *A strong dislike of formality.*
- Things one does not like (plural). *Her likes and dislikes.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | dislike | She dislikes flying. |
| Noun | dislike | A marked dislike. |
| Plural | dislikes | Likes and dislikes. |
| Opposite | like | I like it. |
| Related | distaste | A distaste for gossip. |
How it is used in a sentence
- I dislike being interrupted.Dislike takes a gerund, not an infinitive.
- He took an instant dislike to her.Take a dislike to is the fixed phrase.
- There is no dislike button on most platforms.A deliberate design decision on several networks.
Dislike and its grammar
- Dislike doing — correct: *I dislike waiting*
- Dislike to do — not idiomatic in modern English
- Take a dislike to — form a sudden aversion to a person
- Dislike is not usually used in the continuous — *I am disliking it* sounds odd
- Do not like is often more natural in speech than *dislike*
Formed in English in the sixteenth century from *dis-* plus *like*. It replaced the older verb *mislike*, which survived in Shakespeare and then faded away entirely.
Dislike or do not like?
They mean the same. Do not like is more natural in speech; dislike is tidier in writing.
Dislike doing or dislike to do?
Dislike doing. The infinitive after dislike is not standard modern English.