E2-e: Learning prefixes and suffixes
A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to expand or change the word’s core meaning (its root or stem). The prefix non-, for instance, added to the root word toxic changes the meaning of the word from “poisonous” to “not poisonous.” The first chart below will help you become familiar with some common prefixes, their meanings, and some words in which you might encounter them.
Suffixes are word endings that indicate a word’s part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and so on). The second chart below can help you learn how a word’s suffix determines its part of speech. (For descriptions of the parts of speech, see the basic grammar section of your handbook.)
Consider the English noun democracy, for example, which has many related forms: democrat (a noun), democratize (a verb), democratic (an adjective), and democratically (an adverb). If you were to switch any of these two words in a sentence, your readers might become confused.
Prefixes and their meanings
| Prefix | Basic meaning | Examples |
| a-, an- | without, not | apolitical (not political); anaerobic (without oxygen) |
| ante- | before | antecedent (an element that comes before something); antebellum (before war, particularly the US Civil War) |
| anti- | against | antibiotic (medicine that works against bacteria); antiwar (against war) |
| auto- | self | autobiography (biography of oneself); automatic (self-acting) |
| bi- | two | biannual (occurring every two years); bicultural (being part of two cultures) |
| co-, col-, com-, con-, cor- | together, with | coincide (happen together); collaborate (work with); commiserate (be unhappy together); congregate (assemble together); correspond (communicate with) |
| dis- | opposite, not | disagree (not agree); disappear (opposite of appear) |
| ex- | out, former | exclude (keep out); ex-president (former president) |
| il-, im-, in-, ir- | not | illegal (not legal); impatient (not patient); incompatible (not compatible); irresponsible (not responsible) |
| inter- | between | international (between countries) |
| intra-, intro- | within, inward | intracultural (within one culture); introspective (reflecting, looking within oneself) |
| intro- | in, into | introduce (bring in) |
| mis- | wrong, bad | mislead (lead someone in the wrong direction); misuse (use wrongly) |
| mono- | single, only | monopoly (control by one person or group); monotheism (belief in one God) |
| non- | not, without | nonverbal (without speech); nontraditional (not traditional) |
| omni- | all | omnivorous (eating all foods) |
| pan- | all | panacea (cure for all diseases); pantheon (temple of all gods) |
| poly- | many | polygamy (marriage to more than one person at one time); polyglot (a person who speaks many languages) |
| post- | after, later | postmodern (after the modern period); postpone (put off till later) |
| pre- | before | prejudice (judgment before sufficient knowledge); preseason (before the season) |
| pro- | forward | proceed (go forward) |
| re- | again | reappear (appear again); redo (do again) |
| sub- | under | submarine (underwater vessel); subway (underground train) |
| super- | over, more than, huge | superimpose (place something over another); superpower (huge power) |
| un- | opposite, not | unimportant (not important) |
Suffixes and their parts of speech
Nouns
| Suffix | Examples |
| -acy | aristocracy, democracy, privacy, supremacy |
| -ance, -ence | assistance, dependence, independence, science |
| -ancy, -ency | infancy, vacancy, delinquency, emergency |
| -dom | boredom, freedom, kingdom, wisdom |
| -er, -or | computer, stapler, writer, counselor |
| -hood | childhood, motherhood, neighborhood |
| -ism | Buddhism, communism, journalism, perfectionism |
| -ist | chemist, dermatologist, pianist, socialist |
| -ity, -ety, -ty | unity, society, variety, liberty |
| -ment | enjoyment, government, replacement |
| -ness | forgetfulness, goodness, happiness, sadness |
| -ship | courtship, friendship, membership, partnership |
| -sion, -tion, -ion | admission, immigration, pollution, vacation |
Verbs
| Suffix | Examples |
| -ate | anticipate, complicate, cooperate, reiterate |
| -ify | amplify, mystify, quantify, terrify |
| -ize | computerize, demonize, maximize, publicize |
Adjectives
| Suffix | Examples |
| -able, -ible | drinkable, forgivable, edible, legible |
| -al | functional, legal, physical, visual |
| -ent, -ient | obedient, salient, sentient, silent |
| -ful | beautiful, hopeful, powerful, regretful |
| -ic | automatic, egocentric, poetic, systematic |
| -ive | active, extensive, passive, productive |
| -less | fruitless, harmless, homeless, useless |
| -ous, -ious | delicious, delirious, gracious, mysterious |
Adverbs
| Suffix | Examples |
| -ly | easily, convincingly, hopefully, quickly |