N1 Uncertainty, Hedging, and Inference

~と言いえなくもない: meaning, usage and examples

~と言いえなくもない means: it's not that you can't say... / I guess you could say...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 彼かれの言いっていることも、一理いちりあると言いえなくもない。

   I guess you could say that what he's saying has a point.

2. この状況じょうきょうでは、諦あきらめるのも仕方しかたないと言いえなくもない。

   In this situation, I suppose you could say giving up is understandable.

3. 見方みかたによっては、この失敗しっぱいも良よい経験けいけんだったと言いえなくもない。

   Depending on how you look at it, you could say this failure was a good experience.

4. 値段ねだんを考かんがえれば、このサービスは割安わりやすだと言いえなくもない。

   Considering the price, I suppose you could say this service is a good deal.

When to use it

A cautious, hedged statement: "you could say X, if you had to." The speaker admits a view is possible without fully committing to it. It is a double negative: "it is not that one cannot say X." Example: 「この失敗しっぱいも、いい経験けいけんだったと言いえなくもない」.

Nuance

Neutral to slightly formal, common in essays, reviews and careful speech. The tone is reluctant or half-hearted agreement. It sounds weaker than と言いえる and is not used for strong claims.

Compare

と言いえる is a confident judgment: 成功せいこうと言いえる (it can be called a success). と言いえなくもない is reluctant: 成功せいこうと言いえなくもない (I suppose you could call it a success). ないでもない is the general form of the same idea with other verbs: わからないでもない.

Tip: Read it as "I suppose you could say." The double negative always weakens the claim; it never strengthens it.