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

love-hate relationship

American

[luhv-hayt ri-lay-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

“It’s been a love-hate relationship between Apple and the flash industry,” said Mark Newman, an analyst with Bernstein Research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Stipe: We have a love-hate relationship, and we have since the early ’90s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Yet they both continue to grow, that love-hate relationship with the public notwithstanding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 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

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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