Synonyms: regard, esteem, admiration, respect

These nouns refer to a feeling based on perception of and approval for the worth of a person or thing. 

• Regard is the most general:
    .... "I once thought you had a kind of regard for her" George Borrow. 
• Esteem connotes considered appraisal and positive regard:
    .... "The near-unanimity of esteem he enjoyed during his lifetime has by no means been sustained since" Will Crutchfield.  
• Admiration is a feeling of keen approbation:
    .... "Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration" Matthew Arnold. 
• Respect implies appreciative, often deferential regard resulting from careful assessment:
    .... "I have a great respect for any man who makes his own way in life" Winston Churchill.
  
  See Also Synonyms at consider.

Usage Note: 

Regard is traditionally used in the singular in the phrase in regard (not in regards) to. Regarding and as regards are also standard in the sense "with reference to." In the same sense with respect to is acceptable, but respecting is not.

Respects is sometimes considered preferable to regards in the sense of "particulars": In some respects (not regards) the books are alike.

...Am-Heritage, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/regard