conflicted
adjective
con·flict·ed
kən-ˈflik-təd 
: experiencing or marked by ambivalence or a conflict especially of emotions
conflicted feelings
… these people are … conflicted in their values and beliefs.—
Norman Ornstein
Norman OrnsteinExamples of conflicted in a Sentence
She was still conflicted about her ex-husband's remarriage.
I'm conflicted about the prospect of our only child going away to college.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some movies, such as Laurence Olivier’s 1948 Hamlet, underline the speech’s raw power as a peek inside a conflicted hero’s mind.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Rachel Sennott is incredibly good in this episode, but particularly in this scene, which asks her to convey Maia’s conflicted response to this man while white-knuckling her way through every line.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
More often than not, our receptivity to compliments is a reflection of our conflicted view of our own self-worth, or lack thereof.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
Josh O’Connor plays a conflicted priest in a parish full of secrets, alongside Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and more.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflicted
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Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Rachel Sennott is incredibly good in this episode, but particularly in this scene, which asks her to convey Maia’s conflicted response to this man while white-knuckling her way through every line.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
More often than not, our receptivity to compliments is a reflection of our conflicted view of our own self-worth, or lack thereof.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 2025
Josh O’Connor plays a conflicted priest in a parish full of secrets, alongside Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and more.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflicted
Cite this Entry
“Conflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflicted. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
conflicted
adjective
con·flict·ed
kən-ˈflik-təd
: having or experiencing emotional conflict
working women were much more conflicted about working than full-time mothers were about staying home—People
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