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What does particularly mean in "I don't particularly like you"? "It doesn't mean I don't like you, but I don't particularly like you either." So it's like or not like?
Jan 10, 2017 6:15 AM
Answers · 5
2
When "particularly" is used this way, its meaning is along the lines of "really" or "as much." "I don't particularly like you" can be stated in the following ways as well: "I don't really like you." "I don't like you as much." Basically, "I don't particularly like you" means "I don't hate you, but I'm not very fond of you either." I hope this helps answer your question. Please let me know if it doesn't.
January 10, 2017
1
Particularly is typically used for emphasis. So in this case you are emphasizing that you don't like someone. It's like saying "I really don't like that person." You can also say "I am particularly fond of tea." Which emphasizes that you like tea. Hope this helps!
January 10, 2017
1
Hey. It means that 'I don't especially like you' it almost softens to the fact that you don't like someone it's often followed by another clause. 'I don't particularly like her, but I think it's better to just be nice to everyone'. In this case it almost implies that you at one point were open to liking her, or that you put forth an effort. It's less judgy and harsh than 'I don't like her'.
January 10, 2017
99% of the time you can take it as "I dislike like you to a smaller or larger degree". Taken on face value, without regard to how it's used, it actually means "The amount I like you is not especially high". But that's not what's meant. Here's another similar case that might shed some light. You know how people say things like "He's not the most handsome man in the world"? It's a gentle, indirect, somewhat diplomatic way of saying that you don't find him attractive. It could even be used to mean, explicitly, that you find him decidedly unattractive. And when you think about it, there is only one individual on Earth, out of billions, who is "the most handsome", so saying that someone isn't him is, on face value, saying virtually nothing. Hence, the subtext.
January 10, 2017
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