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love-hate relationship

American

[luhv-heyt ri-ley-shuhn-ship] / ˈlʌvˈheɪt rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp /

noun

a state of ambivalence in which one feels both love and hate for someone or something.

Transylvania has something of a love-hate relationship with Dracula tourism.
The love-hate relationship between directors and actors is entertainingly dissected in this kiss-and-tell memoir from the directing frontlines.

Etymology

Origin of love-hate relationship

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For years, I’ve been stuck in a love-hate relationship with third-party food delivery apps, including DoorDash and Grubhub.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026

JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, who has a love-hate relationship with private credit, warned about more credit “cockroaches” lurking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Reaves’ and Doncic’s love-hate relationship has spread to the rest of the team, as center Deandre Ayton uses the playful trash talk from his teammates to get him going before games.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

Society has a remarkable love-hate relationship with artificial sweeteners.

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025

At the same time, Mami and Papi battled each other, intruding into my fantasies with their real-life love-hate relationship.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023