on the one hand

Idioms  

1. Also, on one hand. As one point of view, from one standpoint. This phrase is often paired with on the other hand to indicate two sides of an issue. For example, On the one hand this car is expensive; on the other hand, it's available and we need it right now. [First half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Hansen, who opened his store in 2001, hopes the next government will help small businesses, squeezed by online shopping and large shopping centres on the one hand and rising prices on the other.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

“But this surface normality sits uneasily atop a much more strained underlying environment. The disconnect between relatively calm economic and financial conditions on the one hand, and heightened geopolitical tensions on the other, is striking.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

The shooting in Minneapolis serves as a stark reminder of the stubborn gap that often persists between law and policy on the one hand and best law enforcement practices for protecting life on the other.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

I don’t have any illusion that Bove is necessarily going to change his worldview or his activities on the one hand, but on the other hand, this is a violation of the Code of Conduct.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025

As far as he was concerned, there were only two sources of knowledge: reason on the one hand, and on the other sense experience, memory and testimony, all of which established matters of fact.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton