Meaning & use

ambivalent

adjective·Academic

Having mixed or contradictory feelings or attitudes about someone or something.

See it in a sentence

She felt ambivalent about the job offer, excited yet nervous to leave home.

He remained ambivalent toward the proposal, seeing both real benefits and risks.

A note on using this word

Different from simple indifference; ambivalence means feeling both ways strongly, not feeling nothing at all.

Words with a similar meaning

uncertaintornconflicted

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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