Ambivalent and Indifferent

There is a lovely scene in Girl, Interrupted (one of my favorite movies) where Susanna tells her therapist that she is "ambivalent" about something. The therapist says that's interesting, because it's clear that Susanna means that she is indifferent, so the therapist corrects her (eliciting what appears to be an actually indifferent response).

Ambivalent means being pulled strongly in two different directions by an issue.

Indifferent means having no strong opinion about the issue one way or the other.

 

I'm ambivalent to the sheep invasion I'm witnessing (it is simultaneously adorable and terrifying) but I am indifferent to the reasons for it; I just don't care why it's happening.