ambiguous

ambivalent, ambiguous

The terms ambivalent and ambivalence are first recorded in about 1916 in the context of psychology, and in particular the Jungian notion of ‘the coexistence in one person of contradictory emotions or attitudes towards a person or thing’ (OED). C. S. Lewis distanced himself somewhat from using ambivalent when he said that ‘Death is…what some modern people would call “ambivalent”. It is Satan's great weapon and God's great weapon’. Ambivalent applies to feelings and attitudes, whereas ambiguous refers to more concrete things such as statements and events and their meanings: (ambivalent)

• This sad state of affairs may be attributed to feckless parents or to a society which projects its standards and values in such an ambivalent way —H. Pluckrose, 1987

• Women can be extremely ambivalent about their own ambition and aggression at work —She, 1989

• Examination of what is entailed and what is expected have produced ambivalent conclusions —State of Prisons, 1991

• (ambiguous) This remark may in isolation be ambiguous —law report, BrE 2003 [OEC]

• Reform is an ambiguous word —Business Week Magazine, 2003.

In the following sentence, ambivalent would be the better choice:

• Booksellers are feeling ambiguous about marking or commemorating the anniversary of the attacks of September 11 —weblog, AmE 2002 [OEC].

Ambivalently is also found, often where ambiguously would be more suitable: e.g.

• The people who inhabit Gormenghast, ambivalently described as ‘figures’ and ‘shapes’, are poised between the two meanings —M. H. Short et al., 1987.