ambivalence

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Ambivalenz,^[2][3][4][5] coined in 1910 by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler,^[6][2] on the model of Äquivalenz (“equivalence”).^[2][4] In the revised OED's analysis it is formed from English ambi- + -valence, after the German word,^[6] and Merriam-Webster as an international scientific word of the same parts.^[7][8] The German word is made from Latin ambi- (“both, on both sides”) and valentia (“strength, vigour”), an abstract noun from valēns, the present participle of valeō (“to be strong”),^[5][2][3] from Proto-Indo-European *wal- (“to be strong”).^[2][5] Klein, alone, says the term was introduced by Freud.^[9] French ambivalence is recorded from 1911, in a review of Bleuler's work.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The coexistence in one person of strongly opposed feelings or urges, such as love and hate, as a term of psychology: 1912, in the Psychological Bulletin.^[6] Barnhart dates ambivalency to 1912 and ambivalence to 1924,^[3] as does Etymonline,^[2] while Merriam-Webster gives a first use in 1909.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The word began as a technical term of psychoanalysis and psychology.^[6][2] By 1917, according to the OED, it was used in general contexts for mixed or contradictory feelings about someone or something, or for being undecided between two courses,^[6] and Etymonline finds a broader literary and general sense by 1929.^[2] The adjective ambivalent followed in English in 1912, and in general use in 1919.^[6] In acoustics, from 1948, the principle of ambivalence named a body's absorbing sound in the same way as it emits it, a rare use.^[6]

Timeline

• 1912 – (psychology) the coexistence of opposed emotions or urges in one person.^[6]
• 1917 – mixed or contradictory feelings in general; indecision.^[6]
• 1948 – (acoustics) in the principle of ambivalence (rare).^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (psychology) The coexistence of opposing emotions or attitudes, such as love and hate, toward the same person, object or idea.^[10][7][6]
2. Mixed or contradictory feelings about something; uncertainty about which course to follow: Her ambivalence about the move showed in every letter home.^[10][11][6]

Word family

• ambivalent
• ambivalently

Related words

• ambi-
• valence
• equivalence
• value
• valid
• prevalent

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that the word is often used for a lack of concern about the outcome of a choice, and that indifference is the better word for that.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
9. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
10. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
11. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins