1
as in dual
consisting of two members or parts that are usually joined
the double-edged purpose of the sales promotion is to clear out existing stock and to attract new customers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
her double-edged remark that she hoped that I ultimately got what I deserved
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Recent Examples of double-edged
There, too, his advocacy is double-edged.
—
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Given the fact that more than 20 of her rapists are still roaming free, this fame may be double-edged.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Given the fact that more than 20 of her rapists are still roaming free, this fame may be double-edged.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Seneca’s and Cicero’s invocations of humanitas were as double-edged as our own talk of the humanities, pointing at once to a body of knowledge and to a moral choice that learning might inspire.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025
However, trust is double-edged.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Putin boasts of Russia’s record-low 2.3% unemployment rate, but this sword is double-edged.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
For Eisenberg’s film, the decision is double-edged: from the perspective of the characters, exceptional demands are placed on the dialogue to make their past come to life, but the dialogue isn’t sufficiently rich or imaginative to meet the challenge.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Usually double-edged, the weapons were occasionally decorated with engraved patterns.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Among artists and intellectuals, technology has always been double-edged, utopian and dystopian.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double-edged
Adjective
-
Cohen has also been working on a documentary about Leaf, as well as a tender short film called Robert and June (and all the time in the world), a dual portrait of Leaf and her husband, the photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank.—
Nicole Rudick,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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This dual functionality enables the development of 3D cube screens.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The problem with the exhibition is not the works of art on view, but its ambiguous premise, its unwillingness to define its terms and approach the Lost Cause with historical clarity.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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The services can analyze all sorts of things, from the specific — such as a hotel bill that exceeded a preset limit — to the more ambiguous, such as whether a lawyer’s description of a task was too vague to be worthy of payment.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Non-binary blah blah blah blah.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
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Today, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which awards $150,000 annually to women and non-binary writers with books published in Canada and the US, announced its 2026 shortlist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But even in its most opposing moments, from its depths of disintegration to its peaks of pattern-building, Spirals/Viral has a cryptic unity.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
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George traces mentalism back to the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece, who purported to deliver divine — and cryptic — messages from Apollo.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Francis already has twin girls, Alexandria Claire and Athena Olivia, with ex-girlfriend Abbey Wilson.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Unfortunately, even that may not extinguish the twin fires.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The movie is available on YouTube, while the original documentary has been taken off HBO's streaming services until 2029 due to an obscure non-disparagement clause contained within a deal the premium cable service made with Jackson in 1992, as Reed told Variety.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Human ears couldn't possibly distinguish the names of obscure songs in one bar's music round.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But what exactly happens to these baby stars next isn't always clear (literally) because they are buried deep within clouds of dark, dusty gas that obscure them.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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All the bedrooms can be found upstairs, including one that’s currently being used as an office and a primary suite flaunting dual dressing rooms and baths, plus a sauna clad in dark gray stone.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double-edged. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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