<!DOCTYPE html> <style> span { color: green; } div[dir="auto"]:dir(ltr) + span { color: red; } </style> <body dir="rtl" onload="window.oldColor = getComputedStyle(document.querySelector('span')).color; document.querySelector('[dir=auto]').setAttribute('dir', '')"> <div dir="auto"></div> <span>This should be green</span> </body>