The table below lists the most common prefixes in English, along with the meaning of each and examples.
Note: Sometimes the word parts listed below appear in the middle of words, but they appear most commonly as prefixes. Also, remember that not all words have prefixes.
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a, an | not, without | agnostic: (n) one who believes that it cannot be known whether or not God exists; (adj) claiming no knowledge amoral: (adj) not related to morality; lacking regard for morality anomaly: (n) an irregularity anonymous: (adj) lacking a named author; having an unknown author apathy: (n) lack of feeling, interest, or emotional investment atheist: (n) one who does not believe in God atypical: (adj) not typical |
| ab | away from, apart from, down | abduct: (v) to take away by force abhor: (v) to hate; to detest abject: (adj) cast down; degraded abnormal: (adj) not normal; not conforming to a standard abolish: (v) to do away with, ban, or make void abstract: (v) to draw or pull away, remove; (adj) theoretical; related to ideas rather than to specific instances or objects |
| ad | toward, near | (Sometimes the d is dropped and the first letter to which a is prefixed is doubled.) adapt: (v) to adjust in response to new circumstances addict: (v) to cause (someone) to become dependent on a substance or activity; (n) a person who is dependent on a substance or activity address: (n) a speech; (v) to give a speech or direct a statement to adhere: (v) to stick fast; to cleave; to cling adjacent: (adj) next to, close to, or connected to adjoin: (v) to be next to, close to, or connected to admire: (v) to look up to; to look at with approval or pleasure advocate: (v) to plead for; to argue in favor of attract: (v) to draw by physical force or by an appeal to emotions or senses |
| ambi, amphi | both, on both sides | ambidextrous: (adj) able to use both hands equally well ambiguous: (adj) open to various interpretations amphibian: (n) an animal that lives part of its life in water and part of its life on land; a person with a twofold nature; (adj) having the traits of an amphibian |
| ant, ante | before | antebellum: (adj) before the war (especially the American Civil War) antecedent: (adj) existing, being, or going before antedate: (v) to precede in time anterior: (adj) placed before |
| anti | against | antidote: (n) a remedy intended to counteract a poison antifreeze: (n) a chemical that lowers the freezing point of a liquid such as water antiseptic: (adj) free from germs; particularly clean or neat antithetical: (adj) opposed to, contrary to |
| bi, bin | two | biennial: (adj) happening every two years bilateral: (adj) related to both sides bilingual: (adj) able to speak one’s native language and another with equal facility binocular: (adj) involving two eyes bipartisan: (adj) representing two parties combination: (n) the joining of two or more things into a whole |
| cent | hundred | centimeter: (n) one hundredth of a meter centipede: (n) a creature with many legs century: (n) one hundred years percent: (adj) out of every hundred |
| circu, circum | around | circuit: (n) a path or journey around an area; a path traveled by electrical current circuitous: (adj) roundabout, indirect circumference: (n) the outer boundary of a circular area circumstances: (n) the state of affairs that exist around a particular time or person; the factors that influence a person or situation |
| co, col, com, con | together, completely | coerce: (v) to force (another to do an action) by using fear, authority, or violence collaborate: (v) to work with another; to cooperate collide: (v) (used of two or more objects or persons) to crash together; to make contact forcefully or violently commensurate: (adj) suitable in measure, proportionate compatible: (adj) able to exist together with someone or something else; capable of harmonious co-existence conciliate: (v) to placate; to win over connect: (v) to bind or fasten together |
| contra, contro, counter | against | contradict: (v) to oppose; to speak against contrary: (adj) opposed to; opposite controversy: (n) a prolonged debate or disagreement about a topic counterfeit: (adj) fake; (n) a false imitation encounter: (v) a meeting, often with an opponent |
| de | away, off, down, reversal | decipher: (v) to interpret; to decode; to discern a hidden meaning defame: (v) to slander; to publicly speak ill of delineate: (v) to draw the outlines of; to sketch; to describe descend: (v) to move from a higher to a lower place |
| deca | ten | decade: (n) ten years decathlon: (n) a sports competition composed of ten events |
| di, dia | in two, across, through | diagnose: (v) to determine the nature of (a sickness or problem) by examining symptoms dialogue: (n) conversation between two or more persons diameter: (n) a line going through a circle, dividing it in two dichotomy: (n) division into two parts, kinds, etc. |
| di, dis | away from, reversal, not | diffuse: (v) to pour out and spread, as in a fluid; (adj) spread out dilate: (v) to widen; to expand disperse: (v) to spread over a wide area; to drive away in various directions disseminate: (v) to scatter or spread widely; to promulgate dissuade: (v) to persuade (someone) against (a course of action); to deter; to advise against |
| dys | faulty, abnormal | dysfunctional: (adj) poorly functioning dyslexia: (n) an impairment of reading ability due to a neurological problem |
| e, ex | out of, from, former | evade: (v) to escape from; to avoid exclude: (v) to shut out; to leave out exonerate: (v) to free or declare free from blame expire: (v) to breathe one’s last; to die; to reach the end of viability |
| em, en | inside, into | embrace: (v) to clasp in the arms; to include or contain enclose: (v) to close in on all sides |
| extra | outside, beyond | extract: (v) to take out; to obtain against a person’s will extradite: (v) to send (a person accused of a crime) to another state or nation for trial or punishment extraordinary: (adj) beyond the ordinary; unusual extrasensory: (adj) outside the senses; coming from or pertaining to knowledge that cannot be gained through normal sense perception |
| fore | before | foreshadow: (v) to warn of or indicate (a future event) foresight: (n) the act of foreseeing; care for the future; prudence forestall: (v) to prevent by advance action |
| hemi | half | hemisphere: (n) half a sphere; half of the Earth hemiplegia: (n) paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on one side of the body |
| hetero | different, other | heterogeneous: (adj) made up of different kinds heterosexual: (adj) pertaining to different sexes; having a sexual orientation toward members of the opposite sex |
| homeo, homo | same, similar | homogeneous: (adj) having a uniform nature or substance homonym: (n) one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning homosexual: (adj) pertaining to the same sex; having a sexual orientation toward members of the same sex |
| hyper | over, above, more than, excessive | hyperactive: (adj) excessively active hyperbole: (n) extreme exaggeration used to create an effect |
| hypo | under, beneath, less than | hypochondriac: (n) one who imagines physical ailments; one who is overly preoccupied with physical health hypocritical: (adj) pretending to have virtues or qualities one does not have hypothesis: (n) assumption subject to proof |
| in, im | not, without | immoral: (adj) not moral impartial: (adj) unbiased; fair inactive: (adj) not active indolence: (adj) a tendency to avoid work or exertion; laziness innocuous: (adj) harmless, inoffensive |
| in, im | inside, into | implicit: (adj) not stated; inherent incarnate: (adj) having a body or physical form indigenous: (adj) native to a place influx: (n) the pouring or flowing of one thing into another intrinsic: (adj) natural; innate |
| inter | between, among | interim: (n) time period between one event and another; (adj) not permanent interloper: (n) one who intrudes in the domain of others intermittent: (adj) happening on and off; not constant intersperse: (v) to scatter; to put things among other things interstate: (adj) involving two or more states |
| intra | inside, within | intramural: (adj) within a school; inside a city intrastate: (adj) within a state intravenous: (adj) inside the veins |
| macro | great, large | macroscopic: (adj) large enough to be seen without magnification macroeconomics: (n) study of the economy on a large scale |
| mal, male | bad, evil, wrong | maladroit: (adj) clumsy, tactless malady: (n) an illness malediction: (n) a curse malfunction: (n) the act of not working correctly; (v) to work incorrectly; to break malicious: (adj) intended to hurt someone malign: (v) to tell lies with the intent of hurting someone’s reputation; to slander |
| med, medi | middle | immediate: (adj) nearest; having nothing in between intermediate: (adj) between the beginning and end mediate: (v) to serve as a go-between; to try to settle an argument medieval: (adj) related to the Middle Ages mediocre: (adj) of only so-so quality medium: (n) size between small and large; a substance or agency that things travel through (as, for example, light travels through air, and news is conveyed by television and newspapers) |
| mega, megalo | very large | megalith: (n) a very big stone megalomania: (n) a mental condition involving delusions of greatness; an obsession with achieving great things megalopolis: (n) a very large city megaphone: (n) a device for magnifying the sound of one’s voice megaton: (n) explosive power equal to 1,000,000 tons of TNT |
| micro | very small | microbe: (n) a very small organism microcosm: (n) a small system that reflects a larger whole microorganism: (n) a very small organism microscope: (n) a device that magnifies very small things for viewing |
| min, mini | small | diminish: (v) to lessen diminution: (n) reduction; the act of reducing miniature: (n) a copy or model that represents something in greatly reduced size minute: (n) one-sixtieth of an hour minute: (adj) very small minutiae: (n) small or trivial details |
| mis | bad, wrong, hateful | misadventure: (n) bad luck; an unlucky accident misanthrope: (n) one who hates people or humanity misapply: (v) to use something incorrectly mischance: (n) bad luck; an unlucky accident mischief: (n) naughty or annoying behavior misconstrue: (v) to understand something incorrectly misfit: (n) somebody or something that doesn’t fit in |
| mon, mono | one, single | monarchy: (n) rule by a single person monk: (n) a man in a religious order living apart from society monogram: (n) a design made up of letters combined into one shape monograph: (n) a scholarly paper on one topic monologue: (n) a speech or other dramatic composition recited by one person monomania: (n) an obsession with a single subject monotonous: (adj) boring; spoken using only one tone |
| mult | many | multiple: (adj) many; having many parts; a number containing some quantity of a smaller number without remainder multiplex: (adj) having more than one part; (n) a building with many separate units multiply: (v) to increase; to become many multitudinous: (adj) very many; containing very many; having very many forms |
| non | not | nonconformist: (n) one who does not conform to a church or other societal institution nonentity: (n) something that doesn’t exist; something that is unimportant nonpartisan: (adj) not affiliated with a political party |
| nov, neo, nou | new | innovate: (v) to develop a new way of doing something neologism: (n) a newly invented word or phrase neophyte: (n) a beginner; a new convert; a new worker novice: (n) a person new to any field or activity renovate: (v) to repair something so it is like new or does not show as much wear and tear |
| oct | eight | octagon: (n) a shape with eight sides octogenarian: (n) a person whose age is 80-89 |
| omni | all | omnibus: (n) an anthology of the works of one author or of writings on related subjects omnipotent: (adj) all-powerful omnipresent: (adj) being everywhere at one time omniscient: (adj) knowing everything |
| pan, pant | all, everyone | pandemic: (adj) widespread panoply: (n) an impressive or vast group or display panorama: (n) a view or scene that extends a long way pantheon: (n) the group made up of all the gods of a particular culture; a building that honors dead heroes |
| para | next to, beside | parable: (n) a story that teaches a lesson through allegory paragon: (n) an example of excellence to be emulated parallel: (adj) being side by side and the same distance apart at all points; having similar paths or structures paranoid: (adj) suffering from a baseless distrust of others parasite: (n) a living thing that draws its nutrients from another on which it lives; a person who lives off another without providing anything in return parody: (v) to satirize through imitation; (n) an imitative satire |
| pent | five | pentagon: (n) a five-sided shape pentathlon: (n) a sports competition with five events |
| peri | around | perimeter: (n) the distance around a shape; a border around a shape peripatetic: (adj) not stationary, moving about periscope: (n) an optical instrument used to view objects that otherwise couldn’t be seen |
| poly | many | polyandry: (n) the practice of having multiple husbands polygamy: (n) the practice of having multiple spouses, often wives polyglot: (n) someone who speaks many languages polygon: (n) a figure with many sides polytheism: (n) belief in many gods |
| post | behind, after | post facto: (adv) after the fact posterior: (adj) situated at the rear posthumous: (adj) after death |
| pre | before, in front | precedent: (n) an act that serves as an example for subsequent situations precept: (n) a rule to govern behavior precocious: (adj) unusually advanced at a young age premonition: (n) a feeling or intuition that something is going to happen before it does |
| pro | in front, before, much, for | proceed: (v) to go forward profuse: (adj) occurring in large amounts; abounding; overly giving prolific: (adj) highly fruitful proselytize: (v) to convert, recruit, or attempt to convert provident: (adj) possessing foresight |
| prot, proto | first | protagonist: (n) the main character in a play or story protocol: (n) diplomatic etiquette; a system of proper conduct; the original record of a treaty or other negotiation prototype: (n) the first version of an invention, on which later models are based |
| pseud, pseudo | false | pseudonym: (n) a false name; a pen name pseudopod: (n) part of a single-celled organism that can be stuck out (like a foot) and used to move around pseudoscience: (n) false science; something believed to be based on the scientific method but actually is not |
| quad, quar, quat | four | quadrant: (n) a quarter of a circle; a 90-degree arc quadruple: (adj) four times as many quadruplets: (n) four children born in one birth quart: (n) one fourth of a gallon |
| quin, quint | five | quintile: (n) one-fifth quintuple: (adj) five times as many |
| re | back, again | recline: (v) to lean back; to lie down regain: (v) to gain again; to take back remain: (v) to stay behind; to be left; to continue to be reorganize: (v) to organize again request: (v) to ask (originally: to seek again) |
| retro | backward | retroactive: (adj) extending to things that happened in the past retrofit: (v) to install newer parts into an older device or structure retrograde: (adj) moving backward; appearing to move backward retrospective: (adj) looking back at the past; (n) a review of past events |
| se | apart, away | secede: (v) to withdraw formally from an association sedition: (n) provocation of rebellion against a government seduce: (v) to lead astray segregate: (v) to separate a larger group into two or more groups; to set an individual or subgroup apart from the larger group select: (v) to choose one thing over another separate: (v) to keep apart; to divide sequester: (v) to isolate or set apart from a larger group |
| semi | half | semicircle: (n) half a circle semiconscious: (adj) only partly conscious; half awake |
| sept | seven | septuplet: (n) one of seven children born together septennial: (adj) occurring every seven years |
| sex, hex | six | sextet: (n) a band with six musicians hexagon: (n) a shape with six sides |
| sub, sup | below, under | subliminal: (adj) existing beneath consciousness submissive: (adj) obedient; not dominant subsidiary: (adj) supplemental; secondary subterfuge: (n) a trick or stratagem used to deceive, hide something, or avoid punishment subtle: (adj) not direct; difficult to understand suppose: (v) to put down as a hypothesis; to use as the underlying basis of an argument; to assume |
| super, sur | over, above | superfluous: (adj) extra; more than necessary superlative: (n) the highest or best of its kind supersede: (v) to replace in power or preference by another surmount: (v) to overcome an obstacle or prevail over a problem surpass: (v) to exceed in amount or degree surveillance: (n) a watch kept over someone or something |
| sym, syn | the same, together | symbiosis: (n) the act of living together in a mutually beneficial relationship symmetry: (n) balanced proportions; having opposite parts that mirror one another sympathy: (n) the attempt to understand the feelings of others symposium: (n) a meeting at which ideas are discussed; originally: a party at which people drink together synonym: (n) a word that means the same thing as another synthesis: (n) the act of combining things to create a new whole |
| trans | across, beyond | transaction: (n) an exchange, especially a business deal involving buying and selling transcendent: (adj) going beyond ordinary limits transgress: (v) to disobey or violate a law; to sin transition: (n) a change from one way of being to another transparent: (adj) easy to see through; easy to perceive |
| un | not | unseen: (adj) not seen unusual: (adj) not usual; exceptional; strange |
| uni, un | one | reunion: (n) a meeting that brings people back together unanimous: (adj) in complete agreement unicorn: (n) a mythical animal with a single horn uniform: (adj) of one kind; consistent universe: (n) all things considered as one whole |