ontkennendontkennende

Ontkennendontkennende is a neologism used in some Dutch-language linguistic and rhetorical analyses to label a form of intensified negation produced by reduplication of the negating element. The term is not widely attested in standard dictionaries, and its exact definition varies among sources. In practice, it is described as a stylistic device that signals stronger denial than a single negator such as niet or geen.

Formation and sense: The word combines ontkennend (denying, negating) with ontkennende (the attributive/adjective form), and the repetition of the negating component serves as a label for double or reinforced negation. The mechanism mirrors emphatic reduplication found in various languages, where repetition intensifies sentiment or stance. In analyses, ontkennendontkennende may refer to a construction in which negation recurs across adjacent units within a clause or across the clause as a whole.

Usage and interpretation: In scholarly writing, the term would describe passages where denial is reinforced beyond ordinary negation, often to convey stubbornness, skepticism, or rhetorical force. Because it is a coined label with limited circulation, its precise scope—whether it concerns word-level negation, syntactic negation, or discourse-level stance—depends on the author.

Reception and relation: The concept relates to broader topics such as dubbele ontkenning, negation intensity, and rhetorical devices. As of now, ontkennendontkennende remains a niche term without broad consensus.

See also: dubbele ontkenning, intensivering, stijlfiguren.