Crossword Genius

Meant to be negative indeed (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

denoted

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'meant' is the definition.
(denoting is a kind of meaning)

'negative indeed' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'negative' could be 'not' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'not' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'deed' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'to be' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for denoted that I've seen before include "Signified" , "Indicated or meant" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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