Farshad Pilafkan

Common Prefix Table with notes about common negative prefixes

Learning common prefixes is one simple way to increase your vocabulary. Just studying this list of about
50 common prefixes can help you recognize hundreds of words. When you combine them with common
roots and suffixes you will multiply your English vocabulary exponentially!

A Few Hints to Get You Started

There are often several prefixes with the same meaning, one from Latin and one from Greek, maybe
even one from Anglo-Saxon (as with sub-, hypo-, and under-.) Often-- but not always-- they are used
with a root from the same language. So we have ‘synthesis’ originally from Greek and ‘composite’ from
Latin, both combining ‘with’+ the idea of setting down or placing something.

However, prefixes and roots do not have to match. New words can be made with parts of various
origins. 'Hyper,' (‘over’ or ‘excessive’ in Greek) can be combined with ‘active,’ from Latin, to make the
common English word 'hyperactive.'

Prefixes are commonly used to indicate size (macro, micro), quantity (mono, uni, bi, tri, quad, multi,
poly), relationships (anti, contra, com, sym), position in time (ante, fore, pre, post) or space (circum, exo,
inter, intra, peri, sub, trans, etc.), quality (eu, mal), or negation. (See the notes below this table.)

Several of the prefixes below have more than one form, usually because a different ending sounds
better before certain letters. These include a-, an-, ad- (which often drops the ‘d’ and may double the
consonant of the root word); co-, com-, con-; il-, im-, in-, ir; pre-, pro-; sym-, syn-; and sometimes
others, like sub-.

This table is a little different than the list in Common Greek and Latin Prefixes, I’ve omitted some of the
explanatory notes, and added several common prefixes with Old English origins. The most important
information is all here.

Prefix Meaning Examples See Also

a-, an- not, without anesthetic. atheist
ab- away, from abject, abscess
ad-, a-, ac-, as- to, toward access, admit, assist
ante- before antecedent, anterior fore-, pre-
anti- against antibiotics, antioxidant contra-
auto- self autoimmune, autonomous
ben- good benefit, benign eu-
bi- two, both bifocals, bipolar
circum- around circumference, circumscribe peri-
co-, com-, con- with companion, concurrent, sym-
conform
contra-, counter- against contradict, counteract anti-

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de- not, from, down, or degenerate, depart, negative prefixes

completely depress below (also ob-)
di-, dis- not, apart disadvantage, displacement negative prefixes
eu- good, normal eugenics, eulogy ben-
ex- out (of), former expose, extract
exo-, extra- outside exoskeleton, extraordinary
fore- before foreshadow, foretell ante-, pre-
hemi- half hemisphere, semi-
hyper- above, excessive hyperactive, hypertension over-, super-, ultra
hypo- under, insufficient hypodermic, hypothetical sub-, under-
il-, im-, in-, ir- not illegitimate, inadequate negative prefixes
inter- between, among interpose, intervene
intra- within intramural, intravenous
macro- large macrobiotic, macrocosm
mal- bad malfunction, malignant
micro- small microbe, microscope
mis- wrong, wrongly misanthrope, misinform
mono- one monolingual, monopoly uni-
multi- many multiple, multitask poly-
non- not nonexistent, nonsense negative prefixes
ob-, oc-, -op against, down, over, object, occur, oppose de-
completely
omni- all omnipotent, omnivorous pan-
over- excessive, over overactive, overflow hyper-, super-, ultra
pan- all pandemic, pantheism omni-
peri- around peripheral, periscope circum-
poly- many polygamous, polygon multi-
post- after postgraduate, postpone
pre-, pro- before, forward (pro- predict, precede, provide ante-, fore-
also ‘in favor of’)
quad- four quadriplegic, quadrangle
re- again, back reform, retain, regenerate
semi- half, partially semiannual, semiconscious hemi-
sub- under, almost submarine, subtropical hypo-, under-
super-, supra- above, excessive superlative, suprarenal hyper-, over-, ultra
sym-, syn- with, together sympathy, synthetic co-
trans- across, through transform, transportation
tri- three tricycle, triple
ultra- beyond, excessive ultraliberal, ultrasonic hyper-, over-, super-
un- not unknown, unlimited negative prefixes
under- too little, under underestimate, underwrite hypo-, sub-
uni- one uniform, unilateral mono-

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The Most Common Negative Prefixes

These prefixes make the following word negative. (They negate the base word, reversing its meaning
and turning it into its antonym, or opposite.) De- is almost always before a verb, or a word formed from
that verb. In-, non-, and un- are usually used for nouns, adjectives, or the adverbs formed from them,
and they mean not _____.

Note that sometimes one prefix is used for an adjective, & different ones for related nouns or verbs.

Examples:
unstable, instability, (to) destabilize;
unable, inability, (to) disable;
unbalanced, imbalance, (to) unbalance.

Usually, however, the same prefix serves both adjective and noun: uncertain, uncertainty; unwilling,
unwillingness; unfriendly, unfriendliness, inadequate, inadequacy, disloyal, disloyalty, etc.

Negative Prefixes With A Few More Examples:

1. de-
debug, decode, decompose, decontaminate, deform, defrost, dehydrate, demythologize, derail,
detoxify. Note that the prefix de- in Latin (and in words that originate in Latin) has other, contrary
meanings as well as sometimes making words negative. (See table and examples above.) It is often
used as an intensifier, meaning completely (as in demand or deliberate), as well as meaning from, down,
or away. When used with an English verb to make a new word, it works as a negative. (Debug, defrost,
devalue.)

2. dis-
disaffected, disagree, disagreement, disagreeable, dishonorable, disloyal, distasteful. (Tasteful refers to
something that shows good taste or judgment. Things which are pleasant to the taste buds are ‘tasty.’
Distasteful refers to tasks that are unpleasant. Foods that lack flavor are tasteless. A lack of good taste
in aesthetics can also be called tasteless.)

3. in- (or, for better sound, –im before b, m, or p; -il before l; & -ir before r):
inability, inaccessible, instability, imbalance, immature, immaturity, impatient, impossible, illegal,
illegible, illiterate, illogical, irrational, irregular, irrelevant, irreparable, irresistible, irresponsible, etc.

Exceptions in which ‘in-‘ does not negate, but intensifies: Inflammable has the same meaning as
flammable-- something that burns easily. Their opposite is nonflammable. The same is true for
habitable and inhabitable (the negative is uninhabitable) and valuable and invaluable— except that
invaluable is even stronger.

4. non-
nonconformist, nonentity, nonintervention, nonmetallic, nonpartisan, nonresident, nonrestrictive,
nonstop, etc. Some words can be negated with non- or with another negative. In those cases non- is the
most neutral in connotation. For example, nonstandard means not according to the usual standard, but
substandard is below the standard: not good. Nonreligious means not religious, but irreligious means
more actively opposed to religion.

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5. un-
unable, unnatural, unrealistic, unfriendly (in this case the –ly isn’t for an adverb; friendly & unfriendly
are adjectives), unhelpful, unwilling, unpleasant, unafraid, unclear, unstable, unaffected (not affected at
all; disaffected means affected badly), untouched, unknown, uncertain, unwise, etc.