INDEX:
1. to not like something or someone
2. to not like someone because of something they have done
3. to stop liking something or someone
4. to make someone stop liking a person, thing, or activity
5. a feeling of not liking someone or something
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LIKE
↑ ENJOY
to dislike someone or something very much : ↑ HATE
see also
↑ UNFRIENDLY
↑ DISAPPROVE
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1. to not like something or someone
▷ not like /nɒt ˈlaɪk/ [verb phrase]
▪ John doesn’t like garlic.
▪ Why did you invite Claire? You know I don’t like her.
not like doing something
▪ My girlfriend doesn’t like camping.
▪ I don’t like walking home alone at night.
not like something/somebody very much
▪ Mum didn’t like Mark very much when she first met him.
▷ dislike /ˌdɪsˈlaɪk/ [transitive verb] written
to think someone or something is very unpleasant :
▪ Eldridge was a quiet man who disliked social occasions.
▪ She now seriously disliked her former friend.
dislike doing something
▪ I dislike having to get up so early in the morning.
dislike somebody/something intensely
dislike them very much
▪ Muriel disliked Paul intensely.
▷ don’t think much of something/somebody /ˌdaʊnt θɪŋk ˈmʌtʃ əv (something/somebody)/ spoken
to think that something is not very good or that someone is not very good at something :
▪ You don’t think much of Carol, do you?
▪ The hotel was okay, though I didn’t think much of the food.
▪ I don’t think much of The Beatles, to be quite honest.
▷ not be very keen on something/not be very fond of something /nɒt biː veri ˈkiːn ɒn something, nɒt biː veri ˈfɒnd əv something ǁ-ˈfɑːnd-/ British informal
to not like something, although you do not think it is very bad or very unpleasant :
▪ Actually, I’m not very keen on modern art.
▪ George had never been particularly fond of small children.
▷ not be somebody’s type /nɒt biː somebodyˈs ˈtaɪp/ [verb phrase]
if someone is not your type, they are not the kind of person you usually like or enjoy being with :
▪ Rob isn’t her type at all.
▪ ‘What do you think of Michael?’ ‘He looks a bit rough - he’s not really my type.’
▷ not be somebody’s kind of thing also not be somebody’s cup of tea British informal /nɒt biː somebodyˈs ˌkaɪnd əv ˈθɪŋ, nɒt biː somebodyˈs ˌkʌp əv ˈtiː/ [verb phrase]
to not be the kind of thing that you enjoy - use this about activities, films, books etc :
▪ Tennis is not my thing.
▪ Horror films aren’t really my cup of tea.
▷ not be to your taste/liking /nɒt biː tə jɔːʳ ˈteɪst, ˈlaɪkɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
use this to say that something is not the type of thing that you like or that you think is good :
▪ It seems that the music wasn’t exactly to his taste.
▪ The food wasn’t really to my liking - it all tasted rather salty.
▷ have no time for /ˌhæv nəʊ ˈtaɪm fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to dislike a person, their attitude, or their behaviour and have no respect for them :
▪ I’ve no time for that kind of attitude.
▪ My father had no time for complainers.
▪ He has no time for players who aren’t completely dedicated.
▷ not take kindly to /nɒt teɪk ˈkaɪndli tuː/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be unwilling to accept a particular situation, suggestion, or type of behaviour, because you think it is annoying :
▪ Nancy doesn’t take kindly to being corrected.
▪ He didn’t take very kindly to being disturbed in the middle of the night.
2. to not like someone because of something they have done
▷ have something against /hæv ˌsʌmθɪŋ əˈgenst/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to dislike someone for a particular reason, although the reason is not clear :
▪ Sam has something against me.
▪ Your brother’s got something against me. God knows what.
▪ She probably has something against men.
▷ have it in for /ˌhæv ɪt ˈɪn fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase not in progressive] informal
if someone has it in for you, they dislike you and are always looking for ways to hurt you, especially because of something you have done in the past :
▪ I don’t know why anybody would have it in for Eddy. He’s a really nice guy.
▪ Sometimes I think my supervisor has it in for me.
▷ bear a grudge /ˌbeər ə ˈgrʌdʒ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to continue to dislike someone and feel angry with them, because you believe they harmed you in the past and you have not forgiven them :
▪ She bore a grudge for a long time.
▪ It isn’t in that woman’s nature to bear grudges.
bear a grudge against
▪ He bore a grudge against my father for years.
▷ there is no love lost between somebody /ðeər ɪz ˌnəʊ ˈlʌv ˌlɒst bɪtwiːn somebody ǁ-ˌlɔːst-/
if there is no love lost between two people, they dislike each other and do not have a friendly relationship :
▪ Sounds like there’s not a lot of love lost between the two of you.
▪ It is clear from these letters that there was no love lost between the Princess and her stepmother.
3. to stop liking something or someone
▷ go off /ˌgəʊ ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb] British spoken
use this to say that you have stopped liking someone or something that you used to like :
▪ I used to drink tea all the time, but I’ve gone off it lately.
▪ Many women go off coffee and alcohol during pregnancy.
▪ I used to think he was really funny, but now I’ve gone off him.
4. to make someone stop liking a person, thing, or activity
▷ put somebody off /ˌpʊt somebody ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to stop someone from liking or being interested in someone or something :
▪ Don’t let her put you off, it’s a really good movie.
▪ When you know an artist used to abuse his wife and children it does tend to put you off his work.
▪ That weekend put me off camping for the rest of my life!
▪ When she told me she worked in an abattoir it rather put me off her.
▷ turn somebody against /ˌtɜːʳn somebody əˈgenst/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to deliberately change someone’s feelings, so that they stop liking someone that they used to like :
▪ My ex-wife is trying to turn the children against me.
▪ Brenda even tried to turn my sister against me.
5. a feeling of not liking someone or something
▷ dislike /ˌdɪsˈlaɪk/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of not liking someone or something :
dislike for/of
▪ She could not hide her personal dislike of the man.
▪ Churchill was said to have a dislike for unnecessary formality.
intense dislike
very strong dislike
▪ My intense dislike for him seemed to grow day by day.
▷ distaste /dɪsˈteɪst/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of dislike that you have for someone or something because you think they are very unpleasant or offensive :
▪ Oliver looked with distaste at my clothes.
▪ Gina moved away from me with a look of distaste on her face.
▷ aversion /əˈvɜːʳʃ ə nǁ-ʒ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a strong, sometimes unreasonable, dislike of something :
have an aversion to something
▪ Most people have a natural aversion to anything associated with death or dying.