ambivalent C2 Topic:Register & Style US /æmˈbɪvələnt/ UK /æmˈbɪv.ə.lənt/ See IPA manual Freq #38061 Meanings 1 adj uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow Was ambivalent about having children. 2 adj Alternately being or having one opinion or feeling, and then the opposite. His feelings toward his parents are ambivalent. Thesaurus Synonyms 2 adj · alternately being or having... fluctuatingvacillatingwavering Word family Derived forms ambivalentlynonambivalentpreambivalentunambivalent Related forms ambiguousambivalenceequivalent Etymology Back-formation from ambivalence, from German Ambivalenz, from Latin ambi- (“in two ways”) + valeō (“be strong”); equivalent to ambi- + -valent. Compare ambivert. Topics Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ambivalent **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /æmˈbɪvələnt/ **IPA (UK):** /æmˈbɪv.ə.lənt/ **Frequency rank:** 38061 ## Meanings 1. uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow 2. Alternately being or having one opinion or feeling, and then the opposite. ## Examples - Was ambivalent about having children. - His feelings toward his parents are ambivalent. ## Synonyms - fluctuating - vacillating - wavering ## Derived Forms - ambivalently - nonambivalent - preambivalent - unambivalent ## Related Forms - ambiguous - ambivalence - equivalent ## Etymology Back-formation from ambivalence, from German Ambivalenz, from Latin ambi- (“in two ways”) + valeō (“be strong”); equivalent to ambi- + -valent. Compare ambivert. ## Topics - Register & Style markdown