on the one hand
idiom
variants
or on one hand
—used to introduce a statement that is followed by another contrasting statement which is typically introduced with on the other hand
On the one hand, I think the price is fair, but on the other hand, I really can't afford to spend that much money.
On one hand, there is the historical, real person—George Washington the President—but on the other hand, there is the legendary person—George Washington the cherry-tree chopper.—
Anthony Hollingsworth
Anthony HollingsworthExamples of on the one hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Something that, on the one hand, would pay homage to the pastries at Blackhole, but something that also wasn’t quite the same.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Dec. 2025
That means that at least initially, the United States will have to shuttle between parallel working groups with the Ukrainians and Europeans, on the one hand, and the Russians, on the other, until there is sufficient trust to bring all the parties together in unified working groups.
—Thomas Graham, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2025
The tension between tech innovation and accessibility on the one hand, and authenticity on the other, will remain.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
While the film is a sexy, frothy romp, on the one hand, the film also casts Doris Day as Babe, a feisty union steward.
—Kathy M. Newman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the one hand
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Kansas City Star, 13 Dec. 2025
That means that at least initially, the United States will have to shuttle between parallel working groups with the Ukrainians and Europeans, on the one hand, and the Russians, on the other, until there is sufficient trust to bring all the parties together in unified working groups.
—Thomas Graham, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2025
The tension between tech innovation and accessibility on the one hand, and authenticity on the other, will remain.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
While the film is a sexy, frothy romp, on the one hand, the film also casts Doris Day as Babe, a feisty union steward.
—Kathy M. Newman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the one hand
Cite this Entry
“On the one hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20one%20hand. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
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