As synonyms for kidnapping, is there any difference between Take and Steal. The question raised to me based on two movie titles with almost identical plot:
Stolen (Starring Nicolas Cage) and Taken (Starring Liam Neeson).
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5I'd say that as a synonym for kidnapped, taken seems to be more intuitive. Stealing seems to be something that happens usually to inanimate objects. Apart from that, take has usually not necessarily a negative connotation, whereas steal almost always does (except maybe when you steal a kiss). – oerkelens May 21 '15 at 8:03
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Intuitively for me stolen refers more to the family/community the kidnapped person is stolen from. (The kidnapper has stolen our daughter!) while taken refers to the person that has been kidnapped. (Help, I have been taken away from my family!) – skymningen May 21 '15 at 10:13
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1In general, "steal" is not used for kidnapping. Probably "stolen" was used for the Cage film because "taken" was already, er, taken. – Hot Licks May 21 '15 at 12:25
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Stolen has within it's meaning that:
The thing wasn't yours to take.
The object (or being) was (usually) taken in stealth.
With "taken" the same meaning is forced:
You can steal a cookie, (that you weren't supposed to take, when nobody is looking) but, if you take a cookie - it may have been offered to you from a plate, in front of a group of people.
