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 |
omniscient (all-knowing); 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); prepare (make something ready) |
pro- |
forward |
proceed (go forward); progress (forward movement) |
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) |