ambivalente
/ambibaˈlente/
The English word ambivalent is translated into Spanish as ambivalente.
ambivalente is an adjective used to describe someone who is experiencing or expressing opposing feelings.
Meaning: experiencing or expressing opposing feelings (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective ambivalente becomes ambivalentes in its plural form to agree with plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ambibaˈlente/
Did you know?
- Because ambivalente ends in e, it is a gender-neutral adjective. Unlike most Spanish adjectives, it does not change its form to match whether the person feeling the emotion is male or female.
- In Spanish, ambivalente is often used in psychological and clinical contexts more frequently than in casual conversation. A native speaker might instead use the phrase tener sentimientos encontrados to say they have 'conflicting feelings'.
- While English speakers use 'ambivalent' to mean 'uncertain', a Spanish speaker might use ambivalente more strictly to describe the presence of two powerful, contradictory emotions simultaneously.
Examples in context
- Tiene una actitud ambivalente hacia su trabajo.He/she has an ambivalent attitude toward his/her job.
- Su actitud hacia el proyecto es ambivalente.His attitude toward the project is ambivalent.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are discussing a decision about moving.
- Alejandro¿Estás feliz con la idea de mudarte?Are you happy about the idea of moving?
- LucíaNo, me siento muy ambivalente.No, I feel very ambivalent.
- AlejandroEs normal tener sentimientos encontrados.It is normal to have mixed feelings.
- LucíaSí, pero es difícil decidir.Yes, but it is hard to decide.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ambivalent” translations and entries ambivalente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
