Meanings
noundouble negative (plural double negatives)
plural double negatives
- derogatoryrhetoricusuallyA phrase including two negative words (no, not, never, etc.) especially when used as intensifiers in informal English.
Nuh-nuh-doin'-duh... Nuh-nuh-doin'-duh... We don't need no education... Yes, you do. You've just used a double negative.
2006 Feb. 17, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 4
Translations
Czech dvojitý zápor
- dvojitý záporphrase in which there are two negative words
German doppelte Verneinung
- doppelte Verneinungphrase in which there are two negative words
Hungarian kettős tagadás
- kettős tagadásphrase in which there are two negative words
Icelandic tvöföld neitun
- tvöföld neitunphrase in which there are two negative words
Portuguese duplo negativo, negativo duplo
- duplo negativophrase in which there are two negative words
- negativo duplophrase in which there are two negative words
Swedish dubbelnegation, dubbel negation
- dubbelnegationphrase in which there are two negative words
- dubbel negationphrase in which there are two negative words
Cite this entry
APA
double negative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20negative
MLA
“double negative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20negative. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “double negative,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20negative.
Source: double negative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.