| English Dictionary |
DOUBLE-EDGED
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does double-edged mean?
• DOUBLE-EDGED (adjective)
The adjective DOUBLE-EDGED has 1 sense:
1. capable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways
Familiarity information: DOUBLE-EDGED used as an adjective is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Capable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways
Context example:
double-edged praise
Similar:
ambiguous (having more than one possible meaning)
Context examples
TOP2-DPCs are most potently formed by pharmaceutical drugs that humans exploit to eradicate cancer cells, making TOP2-DPCs double-edged swords.
(DNA damage caused by cancer treatment reversed by ZATT protein, National Institutes of Health)
The photograph becomes a double-edged weapon now.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"In death, I am born." (Native American proverb, Hopi)
"The whisper of a pretty girl can be heard further than the roar of a lion." (Arabic proverb)
"He who wins the first hand, leaves with only his pants in hand." (Corsican proverb)