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.

Like any big city with great assets and unlimited challenges, many residents have a love-hate relationship with L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 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

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

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

From Slate • Sep. 18, 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