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

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