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

The plan for formal talks was announced almost simultaneously by a group of opposition politicians on the one hand, and Jorge Rodríguez, who heads the government-controlled National Assembly, on the other.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

I think on the one hand he shared a problem with his entire world of aristocrats.

From Slate ● Mar. 2, 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

They are constricted on the one hand by construction that is transforming fields into concrete jungles, and on the other, by impoverished soils and competition from cheap food imports that undermine their revenue.

From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025

The idea of discovery simply could not take hold in a culture so preoccupied with Biblical chronology and liturgical repetition on the one hand, and secular ideas of rebirth, recurrence and reinterpretation on the other.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton