ambivalent

[ am-biv-uh-luhnt ]

adjective

1. having mixed feelings about someone or something; being unable to choose between two (usually opposing) courses of action:

   The whole family was ambivalent about the move to the suburbs.

   She is regarded as a morally ambivalent character in the play.

2. Psychology. of or relating to the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing that individual in opposite directions.

Other Words From

• am·biva·lent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambivalent¹

Back formation from ambivalence

Example Sentences

Sometimes she sees clients who are ambivalent about their kink identities.

From The Daily Beast

What makes Noah mildly ambivalent, yet cautiously optimistic?

From The Daily Beast

True to form, Palmer is ambivalent about Weaver, with whom he does commercials and TV commentary.

From The Daily Beast

Today, many Californians feel ambivalent about illegal immigration.

From The Daily Beast

On some level, Brecht meant for Mother Courage to be an ambivalent figure—he called her “a great living contradiction.”

From The Daily Beast

Let us recall that in our earlier discussion we took note of the ambivalent character of love.

From Project Gutenberg

But I have to ask if the feelings and instincts are really ambivalent?

From Project Gutenberg

Let us suppose the subject has ambivalent feelings toward his father.

From Project Gutenberg

I mean that the relation is really ambivalent, that is, it is composed of conflicting feelings of tenderness and hostility.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus we find again that taboo has grown out of the soil of an ambivalent emotional attitude.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contradictory
• doubtful
• equivocal
• hesitant
• mixed
• uncertain
• undecided
• unsure