the simultaneous existence of two opposed and conflicting attitudes, emotions, etc
Derived forms
ambivalent (amˈbivalent)
adjective
ambivalence in American English
(æmˈbɪvələns)
noun
simultaneous conflicting feelings toward a person or thing, as love and hate
: also Chiefly British amˈbivalency
Derived forms
ambivalent (amˈbivalent)
adjective
ambivalently (amˈbivalently)
adverb
Word origin
ambi- + valence
Examples of 'ambivalence' in a sentence
ambivalence
The latter gave the album its edgy ambivalence about home and country.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Share your fears and do not feel ashamed of your ambivalence about your new role.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It makes a mockery of any residual ambivalence about his claims to greatness.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And they both have an ambivalence about intimacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But there is also a deep ambivalence about the project of enhancement.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Young men of the nineteenth century regarded women with deep ambivalence and swung wildly from one extreme to the other in their feelings.
Rotundo, E. Anthony American Manhood: Transformations in Masculinity from the Revolution to the ModernEra (1993)
One or both of them held a deep ambivalence about marriage, or about the person they were marrying.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Many are less driven but more demanding At this point you might feel some ambivalence about what you want to do.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
That may seem surprising given his immense fame, but ambivalence about his status dogged his career and has pursued him posthumously.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Which is why I feel no ambivalence at all about the final.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His longstanding hostility to radicalism, ambivalence about equality and defence of French identity have led many to call him a conservative.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
These poll findings also expose the public 's ambivalence about the legitimacy of political parties - which providecoherence to any representative system.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I raise this point... because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence aboutmilitary action today, no matter what the cause.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Synonyms of 'ambivalence'
indecision, doubt, opposition, conflict
More Synonyms of ambivalence
(noun)
Definition
the state of feeling two conflicting emotions at the same time
I've never hidden my ambivalence about going back to work.
Synonyms
indecision
After months of indecision, they gave the go-ahead on Monday.
doubt
They were troubled and full of doubt.
opposition
conflict
uncertainty
There is genuine uncertainty about the party's future plans.
contradiction
wavering
fluctuation
Don't worry about tiny fluctuations in your weight.
hesitancy
A trace of hesitancy showed in Dr Stockton's eyes.
equivocation
vacillation
The Prime Minister was pilloried for vacillation and weakness.
irresolution
Additional synonyms
in the sense of doubt
Definition
uncertainty about the truth, facts, or existence of something
They were troubled and full of doubt.
Synonyms
uncertainty,
confusion,
hesitation,
dilemma,
scepticism,
misgiving,
suspense,
indecision,
bewilderment,
lack of confidence,
hesitancy,
perplexity,
vacillation,
lack of conviction,
irresolution,
dubiety
in the sense of fluctuation
Don't worry about tiny fluctuations in your weight.
Synonyms
change,
shift,
swing,
variation,
instability,
alteration,
wavering,
oscillation,
alternation,
vacillation,
unsteadiness,
inconstancy
in the sense of hesitancy
A trace of hesitancy showed in Dr Stockton's eyes.