Phrase guide

on the one hand

prep_phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

From one point of view.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, sequence

Examples

  • On the one hand, it was quite a good bargain, but on the other hand, do we really need a second car?
  • 1950, Bertrand Russell, acceptance speech for Nobel Prize in Literature I maintain, however, on the one hand, that there are few occasions upon which large bodies of men, such as politics is concerned with, can rise above selfishness, while, on the other hand, there are a very great many circumstances in which populations will fall below selfishness, if selfishness is interpreted as enlightened self-interest.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

from one point of view

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • on the one hand, she is a gifted chemist

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: on one hand

Antonyms: on the other hand

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: от една́ страна́ (ot edná straná) — from one point of view
  • Catalan: d'una banda — from one point of view
  • Chinese Mandarin: 一方面 (yī fāngmiàn) — from one point of view
  • Chinese Mandarin: 一來 /一来 (yīlái) — from one point of view
  • Danish: på den ene side — from one point of view
  • Dutch: enerzijds — from one point of view
  • Esperanto: unuflanke — from one point of view
  • Esperanto: de unu flanko — from one point of view
  • Finnish: yhtäältä — from one point of view
  • French: d'un côté — from one point of view
  • Georgian: ერთი მხრივ (erti mxriv) — from one point of view
  • German: zum einen — from one point of view
  • German: einerseits — from one point of view
  • Greek: αφενός (afenós) — from one point of view
  • Hungarian: egyrészt — from one point of view
  • Icelandic: annars vegar — from one point of view
  • Irish: ar thaobh amháin — from one point of view
  • Italian: da un lato — from one point of view
  • Japanese: 一方 (ippō) — from one point of view
  • Lithuanian: viena vertus — from one point of view
  • Lithuanian: iš vienos pusės — from one point of view
  • Persian: از یک سو (az yek su) — from one point of view
  • Polish: z jednej strony — from one point of view
  • Portuguese: por um lado — from one point of view
  • Romanian: pe de-o parte — from one point of view
  • Russian: с одно́й стороны́ (s odnój storoný) — from one point of view
  • Scottish Gaelic: air an dàrna làimh — from one point of view
  • Serbo-Croatian: с једне стране — from one point of view
  • Serbo-Croatian: у једну руку — from one point of view
  • Serbo-Croatian: s jedne strane — from one point of view
  • Serbo-Croatian: u jednu ruku — from one point of view
  • Spanish: por un lado — from one point of view
  • Swedish: å ena sidan — from one point of view
  • Udmurt: огласянь (oglaśań) — from one point of view
  • Ukrainian: з одно́го бо́ку (z odnóho bóku) — from one point of view