ambivalent
adjective
am·biv·a·lent
| \ am-ˈbi-və-lənt
\
\
Definition of ambivalent
: having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something or someone : characterized by ambivalence
… people whose relationship to their job is ambivalent, conflicted.— Terrence Rafferty Americans are deeply ambivalent about the country's foreign role. Isolationist yearnings coexist uneasily with superpower policies.— David P. Calleo
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of ambivalent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One in 10 voters in the 2020 election will be members of Gen Z, but most college students are ambivalent about political parties and even the future of democracy. — Jennifer Rich, The Conversation, "Talking about Charlottesville with alt-right students," 9 Aug. 2019 Blakinger’s attitude toward his subject is ambivalent. — Reagan Upshaw, Washington Post, "Looking back at a Bauhaus artist who tried to bridge the gap between science and art," 19 July 2019 The musical Hamilton does the same thing in its ambivalent dynamic of denouncing slavery’s iniquities while suggesting that its own protagonists were exempt from them. — Sarah Churchwell, The New York Review of Books, "‘The Lehman Trilogy’ and Wall Street’s Debt to Slavery," 11 June 2019 She will be remembered for her outspoken and ambivalent sense of humor that always had everyone in the room full of laughter. — courant.com, "Beverly Ronewicz," 28 June 2019 But the film — much like its ambivalent protagonist — never really picks a side, at least not convincingly. — Pat Padua, Twin Cities, "In comedy about cheating, cheap laughs overwhelm ‘Being Frank’," 27 June 2019 But the film – much like its ambivalent protagonist – never really picks a side, at least not convincingly. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Review: Instead of funny and fresh, ‘Being Frank’ feels forced, awkward," 20 June 2019 Experts, though, remain ambivalent over his plan’s ability to get a substantial number of women to use the Metro or buses that criss-cross the national capital every day. — Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, "Can a free pass get more Delhi women to use public transport?," 4 June 2019 Labour and its left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, have been ambivalent over Brexit. — Max Colchester, WSJ, "Labour to Weigh Second Brexit Referendum if U.K.-EU Talks Collapse," 25 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ambivalent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for ambivalent
ambivalent
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of ambivalent
: having or showing very different feelings (such as love and hate) about someone or something at the same time
See the full definition for ambivalent in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Keep scrolling for more