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

The Boating Party, 1893/1894, finds a similar ambivalence in what might initially read as a pleasant outing. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

The live streamer feels like a stand-in for the author’s own ambivalence about crime writing. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

The skepticism toward influencers tracks with a broader ambivalence researchers have identified. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 July 2026

This is, perhaps, at the heart of my ambivalence toward QVC, or more accurately, my inability to see my engagement with it as pure ridicule or even a hate-watch. — Hannah Engler Harvey, Longreads, 30 July 2026

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