ambivalence
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ambivalence
- /æmˈbɪvələns/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from German Ambivalenz (“simultaneous conflicting feelings”), from Latin ambi- (“both”) and valentia (“strength”), from the verb valere (“to be strong”) (see valiant); spelled on the model of French-origin words ending in -ence. The German term was coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910; by 1929, it had taken on a broader literary and general sense. Equivalent to ambi- + valence.
noun ambivalences
- The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings (such as love and hate) towards a person, object or idea. "I dearly loved my master, son," she said. "You should have hated him," I said. "He gave me several sons," she said, "and because I loved my sons I learned to love their father though I hated him too." "I too have become acquainted with ambivalence, I said.
- A state of uncertainty or indecisiveness.
Translations
Every language
noun coexistence of opposing attitudes
| Español | ambivalencia |
|---|---|
| Português | ambivalência |
| Deutsch | Ambivalenz |
| Ελληνικά | αμφιθυμία amfithymía |
| Русский | неоднозна́чность neodnoznáčnostʹ, амбивале́нтность ambivaléntnostʹ |
noun state of uncertainty
| Español | indecisión |
|---|---|
| Português | ambivalência |
| Deutsch | Ambivalenz |
| Русский | нереши́тельность nerešítelʹnostʹ, неуве́ренность neuvérennostʹ |
Talk about this word "ambivalence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ambivalence. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ambivalence. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalence "ambivalence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalence.Cite this
@misc{ambivalence_2026,
title = {ambivalence},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalence},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
