"Gaze at" vs "stare at"

[Lilish]

Hi there,

Is it ok to use Gaze at and stare at ,interchangably in the same context as in:
He gazed at me in disbelief
He stared at me in disbelief

[Mister Micawber]

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'Gazing' is more gentle and relaxed than 'staring', which is filled with pent-up emotion. 'Stare' works much better in your sentence.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's