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

Examples of on the one hand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For me, his story stood, on the one hand, as a warning about the dark evils of the world—from which we Mennonites were attempting to isolate ourselves—but, on the other, as a tantalizing possibility. —Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025

Neither text draws any distinction between people and citizens, much less citizens and lawfully present noncitizens, on the one hand, and unlawfully present noncitizens, on the other. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025

Semiconductor chips, on the one hand, and rare earth materials, on the other, have been America’s and China’s respective leverage points as the countries seek a new trade understanding. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025

Hanna’s father is, on the one hand, a hoot, a charming eccentric who drops by for drinks on the porch and is frequently the source of some laugh-out-loud punchlines. —John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2025

Rhymes for on the one hand

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland