1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection
for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or
deep affection, as for a parent, child, or
friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt;
beloved person; sweetheart.
5. used in direct address as a term of
endearment, affection, or the like: Would
you like to see a movie, love?

infatuation is described as:
1. a foolish and usually extravagant passion
or love or admiration.
2. temporary love of an adolescent.
3. an object of extravagant short-lived
passion.

Symptoms of love vs infatuation
The foremost symptom of being
infatuated by a person is wanting to be
around that person. This may sometimes
also be sexual desire. Other symptoms
may be anxiety, panic, jealousy etc.
Love, on the other hand, may start with
infatuation or lust and then become love.
Symptoms of love are emotional
attachment with someone, feelings of
confidence, and affection.

Differences in Attributes
Love can happen without conscious
intention and hence pure love doesn't
expect anything in return. Infatuation,
though, comes with a feeling of passion.
It may start with physical attraction and
may render excitement to be around a
person. Love comes with passion as well
as intimacy. Love is also tolerant and
forgiving while Infatuation may invoke
jealousy. Infatuation induces impatience
while Love is patient.

Reasons people fall in love or be
infatuated
There may or may not be any reason to
fall in love. It comes with mixed
emotions and may be caused by physical
attraction, intellectual and emotional
compatibility. Infatuation, on the other
hand, may start with physical attraction
and gives a feeling of being in love.
Differences in Feelings
Infatuation feels like being in love but
it is not. The intensity of the emotion is
strong but not pure like love.
Love is the quiet understanding and
mature acceptance of imperfection. Love
is always associated with connection
between two souls that goes beyond the
self. Infatuation may make the other
person selfish if the opposite person's
reaction isn't the same. Infatuation isn't
pure like love and may be accompanied
by lust. It is about thinking about oneself
and not the other person.

Differences in effects of separation
Infatuation is weakened by time and
separation whereas real love is
strengthened by time and separation.
Separation in both emotions causes great
pain but infatuation may get weak and
cause the feeling to lessen over time.
Love develops more with time and
separation.

Commitment in love vs infatuation
While true and pure love between two
people can often develop into long term
commitment, infatuation may only in
very few cases lead to any commitment.
True love induces a feeling of close
bond towards the other person that is
mutual. While infatuation may produce
feelings of closeness, because they are
typically one sided real, lasting
commitment by both parties isn't
possible.

Age as a factor
Infatuation is generally in the context of
teenage or adolescence. There is
generally no age associated with love.
Anyone can be in love at any age, but
most love stories before the age of 20 is
considered infatuation or "puppy love".