double-edged

adjective

dou·​ble-edged ˌdə-bəl-ˈejd 

1

: having two cutting edges

a double-edged knife

2

a

: having two components or aspects

a spy with a double-edged mission

b

: capable of being taken in two ways

a double-edged remark

Synonyms

• binary
• bipartite
• double
• double-barreled
• dual
• duplex
• twin
• twofold

Examples of double-edged in a Sentence

the double-edged purpose of the sales promotion is to clear out existing stock and to attract new customers

her double-edged remark that she hoped that I ultimately got what I deserved

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Moran’s joke is double-edged. —Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023

Trending For Sohn, identity is double-edged. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2023

Nearly all executives and investors in this niche of neurotechnology acknowledge Musk’s impact on the field, though some say it is double-edged. —Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1