What is "negging"

vb. (present participle of neg English)

Negging is a rhetorical strategy whereby a person makes a deliberate backhanded compliment or otherwise insulting remark to another person in order to undermine his or her confidence in a way that gains approval. The term was coined and prescribed by the seduction community. The term has been popularized in social media and mainstream media. The opposite of pozzing, whereby one pays a person a compliment in order to gain their affection.