Meaning & use
ambivalence
Last updated
The state of having mixed or contradictory feelings or attitudes toward someone or something.
See it in a sentence
She felt ambivalence about moving abroad, excited yet anxious at the same time.
His ambivalence toward the job offer made the decision difficult.
A note on using this word
Distinct from simple indifference: ambivalence implies genuinely conflicting feelings, not a lack of feeling at all.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ambivalence”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.