Verified answer

In everyday speech, "dislike" and "don't like" (or "do not like") mean essentially the same thing and are interchangeable. There is a very subtle nuance however, if you want to be picky.

If you "dislike" something, that's pretty specific, and negative. If I say I dislike vanilla ice cream, it means that I have an aversion specifically to that flavor.

To "not like" something can mean that you are neutral. It's similar to saying "I like chocolate ice cream, and don't care about the other flavors like vanilla." In this sense, "like" shows a preference, and "don't like" just shows that's it's not your preference.

Look at it another way. Tom, Dick, and Harry are the only people I like. That implies that I "don't like" anybody else. But it doesn't mean I hate everybody else, I just don't particularly like other people.

Now let me add " Tom, Dick, and Harry are the only people I like, and I dislike John." Do you see how "dislike" differentiates John from all the other people that I don't like?

In most circumstance, "dislike" and "don't like" are interchangeable, but in certain contexts, they can have slightly different meanings.

To say you don't like something does not automatically mean you dislike it. You may have no opinion or not feel strongly enough about it to waste your dislike energy.

They don't mean EXACTLY the same, but I don't know anyone who thinks they don't mean pretty much the same.

Who are these people that you're talking about?