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
While Jean Seberg once imbued Cécile with girlish petulance, McInerny gives the role an electric charge of ambivalence.
—
Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 1 May 2025
An aid-worker for LGBTQ+ youth on a ticking-clock quest to bear children of her own, Lee has endured two wrenching rounds of in vitro fertilization and, just as painfully, her partner’s ambivalence about having kids at all.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Their brows are furrowed, their mouths are pouty, their faces are twisted into ever-more over-the-top expressions of longing and ambivalence.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the cigar-smoking hound puppet performed by writer-comedian Robert Smigel, zeroed in on the ambivalence some people have about going to the Kennedy Center right now.
—Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambivalence
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Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 1 May 2025
An aid-worker for LGBTQ+ youth on a ticking-clock quest to bear children of her own, Lee has endured two wrenching rounds of in vitro fertilization and, just as painfully, her partner’s ambivalence about having kids at all.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Their brows are furrowed, their mouths are pouty, their faces are twisted into ever-more over-the-top expressions of longing and ambivalence.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the cigar-smoking hound puppet performed by writer-comedian Robert Smigel, zeroed in on the ambivalence some people have about going to the Kennedy Center right now.
—Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 24 Mar. 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 13 May. 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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