Words change meaning over time, and the way it happens can reveal secrets about the culture that’s changing them. Take ambivalence. For many of us, it has come to refer to an absence of opinion: “You choose, I don’t care.” Traditionally, however, it refers to the simultaneous presence of contradictory feelings and attitudes. It’s a surprisingly young word, coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910. Soon after, it was adopted by Freud, who saw that ambivalence—particularly the coexistence of This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 49 Jenny Odell The acclaimed author in search of lost time. Arts & Culture Issue 47 How to Change A Name A short guide to finding what suits. Arts & Culture Issue 45 Words Unheard On the pitfalls of pronunciation. Arts & Culture Issue 42 The Language of Home How weird words forge new friendships. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Deep Time Funk How to think in millennia. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Word: Umarell The men who stare at construction sites.
