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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The core ambivalence of loving my father and also fearing him. 
Connor Goodwin, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 That ambivalence is what Soo finds relatable about the character. Diep Tran, NBC News, 13 July 2022 My intention was to bring visibility to the identity shift, the burning exhaustion and the ambivalence. Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The ambivalence some feel is a reminder of the trouble that Hungary’s authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, is able to cause for his neighbors, in this case by playing on ethnic Hungarians’ feelings of discrimination by their government. New York Times, 16 June 2022 These double values reflect the ambivalence that conservatives feel about Hollywood. Armond White, National Review, 8 June 2022 That ambivalence is something of a constant for Ingles these days. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Mar. 2022 Within the grids, opinions from community members ranged from anger to ambivalence, and in some cases, cautious praise. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 In contrast to the dominant culture of Silicon Valley, where the standard personal narrative includes one or two episodes of failure on the path to inevitable achievement, Wardle is unusually prone to ambivalence and self-reproach. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 See More
Connor Goodwin, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 That ambivalence is what Soo finds relatable about the character. Diep Tran, NBC News, 13 July 2022 My intention was to bring visibility to the identity shift, the burning exhaustion and the ambivalence. Washington Post, 13 July 2022 The ambivalence some feel is a reminder of the trouble that Hungary’s authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, is able to cause for his neighbors, in this case by playing on ethnic Hungarians’ feelings of discrimination by their government. New York Times, 16 June 2022 These double values reflect the ambivalence that conservatives feel about Hollywood. Armond White, National Review, 8 June 2022 That ambivalence is something of a constant for Ingles these days. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Mar. 2022 Within the grids, opinions from community members ranged from anger to ambivalence, and in some cases, cautious praise. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 In contrast to the dominant culture of Silicon Valley, where the standard personal narrative includes one or two episodes of failure on the path to inevitable achievement, Wardle is unusually prone to ambivalence and self-reproach. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Ambivalenz, from ambi- ambi- + -valenz, in Äquivalenz equivalence
Note: See note at ambivalent.
First Known Use
1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical 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