ambivalent

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ambivalent

/æmˈbɪv.ə.lənt/ UK, US

Where it comes from

Back-formation from ambivalence, from German Ambivalenz, from Latin ambi- (“in two ways”) + valeō (“be strong”); equivalent to ambi- + -valent. Compare ambivert.

adjective more ambivalent · most ambivalent

Simultaneously experiencing or expressing opposing or contradictory feelings, beliefs, motivations, or meanings. In modern burlesque [...] sexual and erotic stimuli are often present in concealed and ambivalent doubles entendres.
Similar: conflicted, uncertain, undecided, unresolved
Alternately being or having one opinion or feeling, and then the opposite. His feelings toward his parents are ambivalent.
Similar: vacillating, fluctuating, wavering

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: equivocal, ambiguous, uncertain, unsure, incertain, conflicting, paradoxical, contradictory, self-contradictory, inconsistent, vague, disputed, double-edged, dual, shared, mixed

Translations

Every language

adj experiencing or expressing opposing feelings

Español	ambivalente
한국어	반대감정이 공존하는 bandaegamjeong'i gongjonhaneun
日本語	どっちつかず dotchi-tsukazu
中文	矛盾 máodùn
Português	ambivalente
Français	ambivalent
Deutsch	ambivalent, doppelwertig, zwiespältig
Italiano	ambivalente
Русский	дво́йственный dvójstvennyj, противоречи́вый protivorečívyj

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MLA

"ambivalent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ambivalent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ambivalent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalent

Chicago

"ambivalent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalent.

BibTeX

@misc{ambivalent_2026,
  title = {ambivalent},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ambivalent},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}