double-edged sword
Americannoun
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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.
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.
A significant chunk of recent growth has been driven by healthcare spending from an aging population, a trend he described as a double-edged sword.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Popularity on Wall Street is a double-edged sword.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 16, 2026
Savannah Guthrie's fame has proved to be a double-edged sword.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
That can be a double-edged sword for the company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 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.
