mixed blessings
Good with drawbacks
Mixed blessings are things that bring both advantages and disadvantages.
The phrase acknowledges that good fortune often comes with complications or costs: Children are mixed blessings—they bring joy but also exhaustion and expense.
A job promotion might be a mixed blessing if it means longer hours or relocation.
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
- bitter pillDifficult thing to accept
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- give and takeMutual concession between parties
double edged sword · fair trade · boon · paradoxical · catch 22 · curse · poisoned chalice · compromise · ambivalence · dilemma · two sides · glass half full · yin-yang · conflicted · complexity · contradictory · unintended consequences · necessary evil