Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having two cutting edges.
- adjective Effective or capable of being interpreted in two ways.
- adjective Having a dual purpose.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having two edges.
- Figuratively, cutting or working both ways: applied to an argument which makes both for and against the person omploying it, or to any statement having a double meaning.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective not comparable Describing a blade, such as a sword or knife, that is
sharp on both edges. - adjective comparable, figuratively Describing something that is as dangerous for the user as the one it is used on.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective capable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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He referred to the double-edged sword of Hezbollah’s dogma and pragma.
A Privilege to Die Thanassis Cambanis 2010
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The articles by Gavin Walker, Tom Looser, and Mark Anderson are double-edged swords.
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That freedom, of course, can be a double-edged sword, if those moves mean they lose the benefits of broad exposure.
'Go-Anywhere' Funds Struggle To Read the Economic Road Signs Jonnelle Marte 2011
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Boston University's Professor of Religion Stephen Prothero wrote in Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know that ignorance is perilous because religion carries the double-edged sword of being a force for evil while also having the capacity for enormous good.
John L. Esposito: Obama's Trip to India: Sikhs Are Not Muslims John L. Esposito 2010
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There is a double-edged sword in the conundrum offered by those two questions.
Robert Schwab: End the Wars, Cure Cancer, Create Jobs Robert Schwab 2011
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The stories are briskly paced and plot-driven, which turns out to be a double-edged sword.
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#BaltimoreColtsPackers 14 Giants 17, 5:20 2nd quarter Blackburn proves a double-edged sword for the Giants - recording that huge interception on the Packers' last series, but now colliding with his team-mate Kenny Phillips and leaving the latter requiring treatment on the field.
Green Bay Packers 38 New York Giants 35 - as it happened | Paolo Bandini 2011
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Now that the $54-million pavilion is ready for a clutch of celebratory galas this weekend and an official public opening Oct. 2 and 3, it's evident that Govan's decision to arrange for the building to be viewed -- and written about -- at that preliminary stage was, if not a risk, then at least strategically something of a double-edged sword.
LA Times Reviews: LACMA's Resnick Pavillion Los Angeles Times 2010
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In the two settings that I have studied, the ‘younger the better’ hypothesis can be a double-edged sword.
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There is a double-edged sword in the conundrum offered by those two questions.
Robert Schwab: End the Wars, Cure Cancer, Create Jobs Robert Schwab 2011
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