ambivalent
adjective
Terrence RaffertyDavid P. Calleo
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The words ambivalent and ambivalence entered English during the early 20th century in the field of psychology. Though they were introduced in German by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in a 1910 publication, their components are Latin rather than Germanic. The prefix ambi- means "both," and the -valent and -valence parts ultimately derive from the Latin verb valēre, meaning "to be strong, be effective, have worth." Not surprisingly, an ambivalent person is someone who has strong feelings on more than one side of a question or issue.
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Ambiguous vs. Ambivalent
Dating to the 16th century, ambiguous is quite a bit older than ambivalent, which entered English as a loan from German in the early 20th century. It was coined by the psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (who also introduced the term Schizophrenie, "schizophrenia," and Autismus, "autism"). Both words are in some fashion concerned with duality: ambivalent relates to multiple and contradictory feelings, whereas ambiguous typically describes something with several possible meanings that create uncertainty.
The words’ etymologies offer some help in distinguishing between them. Their shared prefix, ambi-, means "both." The -valent in ambivalent was extracted from German äquivalent, "equivalent," from Late Latin aequivalens, "having equal strength," and, in combination with ambi-, suggests the pull of two different emotions. The -ig- in ambiguous, on the other hand, comes ultimately from Latin agere ("to drive, to lead"); paired with ambi-, it suggests movement in two directions at once, and hence, a wavering or uncertainty.
Examples of ambivalent in a Sentence
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024
Charli appears satisfied, if ambivalent, about her chart debut inroads with brat, but some of her Angels took offense on her behalf, particularly with her No. 2 debut in the United Kingdom.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 17 July 2024
And that’s the biggest electoral challenge for Biden and the Democrats, getting disgruntled or ambivalent Americans to vote.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2024
These relationships may be ambiguous and ambivalent.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ambivalent 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambivalent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Ambivalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambivalent. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.
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