Unrequited Love De-coded

Definition: Not reciprocated or returned in kind
Part of Speech: adjective
Synonyms: barren, disagreeable, distasteful, fruitless, futile, miserable, ungrateful, unpleasant, unprofitable, unrecognized, unrequited, unreturned, unrewarding, useless, vain, wretched
Antonyms: appreciated, grateful, rewarded

Definition: A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
Part of Speech: noun
Synonyms:affection,amorousness, amour, appreciation, crush, delight, devotion, fondness, friendship, infatuation, involvement, like, lust, mad for, passion, piety, rapture, regard, respect, yearnin
Antonyms: hate

Unrequited love is love that is not reciprocated, even though reciprocation is desired. This can lead to feelings such as depression, anxiety, and mood swings such as swift changes between depression and euphoria. The experience of being in unrequited love is often one of limerence. Unrequited love can result in obsessive behavior or transform into hostility to the object of desire, leading to behavior such as stalking. This has, unfortunately, inspired in many people's imagination the idea of people whose love is unrequited as being perverts. However, unrequited love has also been the inspiration for and topic of many great works of art.

Although being in unrequited love can be intensely stressful and unpleasant, it can simultaneously be a source of great joy, and even provide the lover a sense of satisfaction at having somebody to love, even though that love is not returned. The emotional duress may be seen as "worth it".

Although unrequited love can last a very long time -- many years, or even decades -- the lover's feelings usually reach a breaking point as they continue to deepen. The love typically ends when the lover receives reciprocation from the loved (consummation), develops less intense feelings for the loved (starvation), or channels their feelings towards another, more reciprocative, object (transformation).