Showing results for love-hate relationship. Search instead for long-lasting relationships.

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.

See Examples For:

love-hate relationship

There’s been something of a love-hate relationship between viewers and the show, which has sometimes dared its audience to keep watching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

She’s had a love-hate relationship with her body throughout her lifetime, she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

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

"I could, I suppose, but I've got this love-hate relationship with it," she says.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

This puzzled me until I remembered what Mum says about Kat and me having a love-hate relationship and I worked out that the same was true of Rashid and Aunt Gloria.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

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