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ambitendency

American  
[am-bi-ten-duhn-see] / ˌæm bɪˈtɛn dən si /

noun

Psychology.

plural

ambitendencies

  1. ambivalence, especially when acted out; a tendency to contradictory behavior arising from conflicting impulses.

Etymology

Origin of ambitendency

ambi- + tendency

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.