both sidesism

A form of bothsidesism — A tendency to treat all policy debates as if the opposing sides present equally strong arguments, or are equally valid or equally dangerous.

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Meanings

nounboth sidesism (uncountable)
  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of bothsidesism.

    "Both sides" -- let us call it "both sidesism" and acknowledge what a fitting theme it is for this year's holiday season, even though it has its origin in our politics, not our religion.

    1979 December 25, Meg Greenfield, “The 'Both Sides' Bind”, in The Washington Post
    1 more example

    Berger-Sweeney said, “we have an unshakable commitment to free expression and inquiry, open debate and discourse, and the valuing of all voices.” Some will certainly view Berger-Sweeney’s take on the club as "both sidesism."

    2019 April 30, Colleen Flaherty, “Speech on Blast (Again) at Trinity”, in Inside Higher Ed
Cite this entry
APA

both sidesism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/both%20sidesism

MLA

“both sidesism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/both%20sidesism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “both sidesism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/both%20sidesism.

Source: both sidesism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.