Double-edged

adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a blade, such as a sword or knife, sharp on both edges. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Beneficial and harmful at the same time; assisting or contributing in one manner while also creating risk or negative consequences. comparable, figuratively

    "Slander is a double-edged weapon: you can hurt the reputation of another but it diminishes your own reputation that you debase yourself so much."

Adjective
  1. 1
    capable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
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Example

More examples

"Being an anglophone is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you speak perfectly the world's most useful language. But on the other, no one wants to speak anything else with you - making foreign language acquisition difficult."

Related phrases

double-edged sword

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.