ambivalence
noun
am·biv·a·lence
am-ˈbi-və-lən(t)s 
1
: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action
felt ambivalence toward his powerful father
ambivalence toward marriage
2
a
: continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite)
b
: uncertainty as to which approach to follow
ambivalence about their goals
Examples of ambivalence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Perfect ambivalence, negative capability was Keats’ idea of two things that are in perfect opposition that can never resolve.
—
Jessie Gaynor
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
So while industry executives froth over a pitcher with a 6.66 ERA (Alcantara), fans can be forgiven for their ambivalence.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
The first Wet Leg album showcased a deliciously English clash of bawdiness and ambivalence, the same tug of lust and shame that gave the best work of the ’90s Britpop rebels Pulp, the most obvious of Wet Leg’s influences, an element of real, human complexity.
—Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025
But the inhabitants of a police state can drift in ambivalence for only so long before they are compelled to make a moral choice.
—Uilleam Blacker, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambivalence
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Jessie Gaynor
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
So while industry executives froth over a pitcher with a 6.66 ERA (Alcantara), fans can be forgiven for their ambivalence.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
The first Wet Leg album showcased a deliciously English clash of bawdiness and ambivalence, the same tug of lust and shame that gave the best work of the ’90s Britpop rebels Pulp, the most obvious of Wet Leg’s influences, an element of real, human complexity.
—Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2025
But the inhabitants of a police state can drift in ambivalence for only so long before they are compelled to make a moral choice.
—Uilleam Blacker, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambivalence
Cite this Entry
“Ambivalence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambivalence. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ambivalence
noun
am·biv·a·lence
am-ˈbiv-ə-lən(t)s
: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action
ambivalence which is expressed in behavior by alternating obedience and rebellion—G. S. Blum
G. S. Blum
ambivalently
adverb
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