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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

both-sides en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (derogatory) To engage in bothsidesism, to treat a policy debate or controversy as a conflict between two equally valid (or equally dangerous, etc) viewpoints.
    • It’s certainly true that there are unhinged people across the political spectrum and politicians from both sides have been targeted for violence. However, “both-sidesing” this issue is dangerously dishonest. 2022 November 2, Arwa Mahdawi, “Jokes about Paul Pelosi aren’t just in bad taste. They normalize political violence”, in The Guardian:
    • 2020, February 4, "Lisa Murkowski Sick of All the Corruption, Will Vote to Let It Continue", Wonkette. "Once she'd adequately both-sidesed Congress and Tump, she fell back to more comfortable Republican talking points […] "
    • 2019, Deember 30, Greg Sargent, "Explosive New Revelations Just Weakened Trump's Impeachment Defense", The Washington Post Plum Line blog. "McConnell badly needs the media's both-sidesing instincts to hold firm against the brute facts of the situation."

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
both-sidesing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
both-sideses Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
both-sidesed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
both-sidesed Tense=Past lexicographic