1
Conflicting emotions
Feeling two opposing emotions toward the same person, event, or possibility.
Example
Her simultaneous excitement and anxiety about the move revealed her ambivalence.
ambivalence
/æmˈbɪvələns/ · am-BIV-uh-luhnsnoun
Simultaneous conflicting feelings about something.
Use ambivalence when attraction and reluctance, approval and doubt, or other opposing responses create uncertainty.
What ambivalence Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Uncertain judgement
Being unable to take a firm position because both benefits and drawbacks feel persuasive.
Example
The council's ambivalence reflected support for the goal but concern about its cost.
3
Mixed public response
A group expressing divided or contradictory attitudes rather than clear approval or rejection.
Example
Public ambivalence toward the proposal made its future uncertain.
Use ambivalence Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Her simultaneous excitement and anxiety about the move revealed her ambivalence.
Public ambivalence toward the proposal made its future uncertain.
The memoir conveys the author's ambivalence about the technology's convenience and social cost.
Precision Matters
Ambivalence overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
ambivalence
vs.Exists within a person's conflicting feelings.
ambiguity
Exists in language, evidence, or a situation with multiple meanings.
ambivalence
vs.Explains uncertainty through opposing attitudes.
indecision
Is simply difficulty making a choice.
ambivalence
vs.Contains competing feelings or evaluations.
apathy
Means lack of interest or concern.
ambivalence
vs.Can combine approval and doubt at the same time.
skepticism
Primarily means doubt about whether a claim is true.
Test ambivalence in Context
She feels attraction and reluctance toward the same opportunity.
1
Meera welcomed the promotion’s creative freedom but dreaded the extensive travel it required; her ambivalence was evident whenever she discussed accepting the role.
As used in the text, “ambivalence” most nearly means…