double-edged sword
Americannoun
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double-edged swords
plural
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The Soho-based queen also says social media has become a "double-edged sword".
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Our water system’s decentralized, fragmented nature, perhaps a bit like our electoral system, is a double-edged sword, inasmuch as its vulnerabilities are atomized—at least a single hacker can’t contaminate all the water in the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
"In California, atmospheric rivers are a double-edged sword," Mimi said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The highly diversified business model of Google also acts as a double-edged sword for ad growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Thus did the economics of Big Science create a double-edged sword.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
