ambivalence

noun

am·​biv·​a·​lence am-ˈbi-və-lən(t)s 

1

: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action

felt ambivalence toward his powerful father

ambivalence toward marriage

2

a

: continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite)

b

: uncertainty as to which approach to follow

ambivalence about their goals

Examples of ambivalence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the newspaper itself remains an object of affection, no matter the show’s ultimate ambivalence about its content. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025

This mix of impulsivity and ambivalence highlights why a safe environment – without access to firearms or other lethal methods – can be the difference between life and death for someone in crisis. —Emmy Betz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025

The end result would be a chill bar night in our town in suburban Tacoma, Washington, for which Zachary felt a deep ambivalence; persuading him to attend the 10-year had already been a herculean task. —Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025

The beautiful ambivalence and mystery of Virgil’s own poetic art has both an aesthetic and a quasi-political function, in teaching the reader to remain in a cognitive place of doubt. —Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Ambivalenz, from ambi- ambi- + -valenz, in Äquivalenz equivalence

Note: See note at ambivalent.

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ambivalence

• equivalence

Medical Definition

ambivalence

noun

am·​biv·​a·​lence am-ˈbiv-ə-lən(t)s 

: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action

ambivalence which is expressed in behavior by alternating obedience and rebellion

—G. S. Blum

ambivalent

-lənt 

adjective

ambivalently adverb