double-edged sword
English · Thesaurus
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double-edged sword
Where it comes from
From the notion that if two sides of the same blade are sharp, it cuts both ways. The metaphor may have originated from the Arabic expression سَيْفٌ ذُو حَدَّيْنِ (sayfun ḏū ḥaddayni, “double-edged sword”) or from the Hebrew expression חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת (ẖérev pifiyót, “double-mouthed sword”).
The metaphor is first attested in English in the 15th century.
noun double-edged swords
-
A benefit that is also a liability, especially a benefit that carries some significant but not-so-obvious cost or risk.
He added: “Facebook is a double-edged sword. You don’t want to support it, but you have to use it in order to reach a large audience.”
Similar: dual-edged sword, two-edged sword
- A neutral principle that has applications that may be either positive (beneficial) or negative (adverse) to one's own interests. The unintended ambiguity of the phrase was a double-edged sword: it spurred litigation but it also ended up shielding good-faith actors.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see double-edged, sword.
Translations
Every language
noun idiomatic
| Español | arma de doble filo, arma de dos filos |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 양날의 검 yangnar-ui geom |
| 日本語 | 諸刃の剣 moroha no tsurugi |
| 中文 | 雙刃劍 /双刃剑 shuāngrènjiàn |
| Português | faca de dois gumes, pau de dois bicos |
| Français | arme à double tranchant |
| Deutsch | zweischneidiges Schwert |
| Italiano | arma a doppio taglio |
| Ελληνικά | δίκοπο μαχαίρι díkopo machaíri |
| Română | sabie cu două tăișuri |
| Русский | па́лка о двух конца́х pálka o dvux koncáx, обоюдоо́стрый меч obojudoóstryj meč |
| العربية | سَيْفٌ ذُو حَدَّيْنِ sayfun ḏū ḥaddayni |
| עברית | חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת ẖérev pifiyót |
Talk about this word "double-edged sword." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/double-edged%20sword. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. double-edged sword. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/double-edged%20sword "double-edged sword." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/double-edged%20sword.Cite this
@misc{double_edged_sword_2026,
title = {double-edged sword},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/double-edged%20sword},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
