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

See Examples For:

on the one hand

“Everybody just acknowledges quietly to each other that, on the one hand, it’s unsustainable but, on the other hand, why would you stop?” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

I think, on the one hand, they’re a group of people who think that other people aren’t quite real.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

"We have on the one hand the tourist accommodation market and on the other the residential market," says Jordi Vila, a representative of the Sindicat de Llogateres.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

“It’s this weird thing, on the one hand, I want them to enjoy this connection they have,” Close said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

Having considered this matter very superficially, historians on the one hand admire these deeds of his, and on the other condemn the main cause of them.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli