Word
ambivalence
Meanings
mixed or conflicting feelings or attitudes toward someone or something
uncertainty or hesitation caused by having conflicting desires or opinions, especially when making a choice
Definition
Ambivalence is the state of having mixed or conflicting feelings about something or someone.
Ambivalence means feeling both positive and negative emotions at the same time about the same thing. You may want something but also be unsure or hesitant about it. It often shows up when a decision is difficult or when the situation has both benefits and drawbacks.
Examples
- She felt ambivalence about moving abroad.
- His ambivalence toward the promotion surprised his boss.
- There was clear ambivalence in the way he answered the question.
- I still have ambivalence about buying a car right now.
- Public ambivalence grew as the plan’s costs became clear.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse ambivalence (mixed feelings) with indifference (no strong feelings).
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More nouns
- fascism Fascism is an extreme right-wing political system with a powerful dictator, strong nationalism, and…
- gaslighting Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes someone doubt their own memory, judg…
- narcissist A narcissist is someone who is excessively self-centered and craves admiration while showing little…
- empathy Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.
- metaphor A metaphor is a way of describing something by saying it is something else to create a clear image …