double negative

English

Noun

double negative (plural double negatives)

1. (rhetoric) A phrase in which there are two negative words or their compounds (e.g. no, not, never, none, etc), occasionally leading to ambiguity in the meaning, but necessary in some foreign languages.

Usage notes

Often used pejoratively to characterize language use that has been acceptable in many vintages and dialects of English and other languages.

Translations

phrase in which there are two negative words

• Czech: dvojitý zápor m
• German: doppelte Verneinung (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: tvöföld neitun f
• Portuguese: duplo negativo m, negativo duplo m

See also

• double negative on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• litotes
• negative concord