Ambivalent: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ambivalent adjective. Having mixed or opposing feelings about something at the same time.
How to say it
am-BIV-uh-lunt/æmˈbɪvələnt/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (BIV).
Ambivalent in a sentence
I’m ambivalent about the move: better pay, but I’d miss my friends terribly.
Her ambivalent reply, half yes and half shrug, left the planners guessing.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- torn
- conflicted
- undecided
- in two minds
Opposite:
- certain
- wholehearted
Where ambivalent comes from
Coined in German psychology in the early 1900s from Latin ambi-, both, and valere, to be strong.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Her _____ reply, half yes and half shrug, left the planners guessing.
- lugubrious
- restive
- ambivalent
Show the answer
ambivalent: Her ambivalent reply, half yes and half shrug, left the planners guessing.