negging

American  

[neg-ing] / ˈnɛg ɪŋ /

noun

Slang.

1. the act of insulting someone or something with a backhanded compliment or with qualified approval, especially as a ploy to lower the self-esteem of a person or cheapen an object before showing romantic interest or making an offer.

   I will not tolerate gaslighting, negging, or other mind games in my love life.

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Etymology

Origin of negging

First recorded in 1995–2000; gerund of neg ( def. ) (in the sense “to give negative feedback”)

Example Sentences

But he’s clever enough to hide it, negging his hero into giving him a backstage pass.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

DeVido’s Emma Wheemer — a weary professor prone to negging people she admires and regretting it — feels like people I actually know.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2023

As Agnes, Katigbak delivers a measured prattle, her negging neither as viperous nor as offhand as Albee’s text gives the character license to be.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2022

Perhaps this was a case of a schoolyard bully negging the kid they have a crush on to hide their true feelings because I’ve been coveting one of those fancy Ember mugs for years.

From The Verge • Jul. 13, 2022

Daria’s emotionlessly sarcastic response to an idiotic bro’s advances, coupled with his inability to read said sarcasm, is the stuff of negging legend.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2017