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

Picardo describes the agreement as introducing "complete and utter fluidity of people and goods" between Gibraltar, on the one hand, and Spain and the EU on the other.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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

“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

“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

“I need somebody who on the one hand can work with the mechanics, who talks their language, and, on the other hand, won’t be run over by the physicists and the engineers,” he explained.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik