double-edged sword
Americannoun
-
a sword whose blade has two cutting edges.
This game character wields a wide double-edged sword to slice an enemy in two, armor and all, with brute strength.
-
something whose desirable effects are necessarily accompanied by undesirable ones.
Studying from home is a double-edged sword—you can roll out of bed at 10 a.m. and attend class in your pajamas, but you can skip class with equal ease.
Etymology
Origin of double-edged sword
First recorded in 1580–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
May’s surprisingly strong jobs report could soon feel like a double-edged sword for borrowers struggling to keep up with inflation and their bills.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
Gellar wields a double-edged sword: “Buffy” helped shape the landscape of modern TV, but it’s because the show was and is so popular that the role sticks to her no matter where she goes.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
Strategic ambiguity, if that’s what this is, can be a double-edged sword.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
For him, higher beef prices have been a double-edged sword.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
Thus did the economics of Big Science create a double-edged sword.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
