Prefixes and suffixes

The following are some of the most common and useful English prefixes and suffixes.

Prefixes

prefix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
a-	adj.	not, without	amoral, asexual
Anglo-	adj.	English	Anglo-American
ante-	adj., verbs, nouns	before	antenatal, antedate, anteroom
anti-	adj., nouns	against	antisocial, anti-war
arch-	nouns	supreme, most	archbishop, arch-enemy
auto-	adj., nouns	self	automatic, autobiography
bi-	adj., nouns	two	bilingual, bicycle
bio-	adj., nouns	life	biodegradable, biochemist
cent(i)-	nouns	hundredth	centimetre, centilitre
co-	verbs, nouns	together (with)	co-operate, co-pilot
counter-	adj., verbs, nouns	against	counteract, counter-revolution(ary)
cyber-	nouns	computer, internet	cybercrime, cyberculture
de-	verbs	reversing action	defrost, deregulate
de-	verbs	take away	deforest
dis-	adj., verbs, nouns	not, opposite	disloyal, disappear, disorder
dis-	verbs	reversing action	disconnect, disinfect
e-	nouns	electronic, internet	email, e-commerce, e-book
eco-	adj., nouns	environment	eco-friendly, eco-tourism
en-	nouns	put in	endanger, encircle
en-	adj.	make	enrich, enable
Euro-	adj., nouns	European	Eurocentric, Europop
ex-	nouns	former	ex-husband
extra-	adj.	exceptionally	extra-special
extra-	adj.	outside	extra-terrestrial
fore-	verbs, nouns	before	foretell, foreknowledge
geo-	adj., nouns	earth	geothermal, geophysics
hyper-	adj., nouns	extreme(ly)	hypercritical, hypertension
ill-	past participles	badly	ill-advised, ill-expressed
in-	adj.	not, opposite	incomplete, insensitive
(im- before p)	adj.	not, opposite	impossible
(il- before l)	adj.	not, opposite	illegible
(ir- before r)	adj.	not, opposite	irregular
inter-	adj., verbs	between, among	international, intermarry
kilo-	nouns	thousand	kilometre, kilogram
mal-	adj., verbs, nouns	bad(ly)	maltreat, malformed, malfunction
mega-	nouns	million	megabyte
mega-	adj. (informal)	extremely	mega-rich
micro-	adj., nouns	very small	microlight (aircraft), micrometer
mid-	nouns	in the middle of	mid-December, mid-afternoon
milli-	nouns	thousandth	millisecond
mini-	nouns	little	minigolf, minicab
mis-	verbs, nouns	wrong(ly)	misunderstand, misconduct
mono-	adj., nouns	one	monogamous, monorail
multi-	adj., nouns	many	multilingual, multi-purpose
neo-	adj., nouns	new(ly)	neo-classical, neo-Nazi
non-	nouns, adj.	not	non-smoker, non-returnable
omni-	adj.	all	omnipresent
out-	verbs	do/be more than	outrun, outnumber
over-	adj., verbs	too much	over-confident, overeat
pan-	adj.	right across	pan-American
photo-	adj., nouns	light	photoelectric, photosynthesis
poly-	adj., nouns	many	polyglot, polygon
post-	adj., nouns	after	post-modern, postwar
pre-	adj., nouns	before	premarital, prewar
pro-	adj., nouns	for, in favour of	pro-communist, pro-government (adj.)
pseudo-	adj.	false	pseudo-academic
psycho-	adj., nouns	mind, mental	psycho-analysis
re-	verbs, nouns	again, back	rebuild, reconstruction
semi-	adj., nouns	half	semi-conscious, semicircle
socio-	adj., nouns	society	socio-economic
sub-	adj., nouns	below	substandard, subconscious, subway
super-	adj. nouns	more than, special	supernatural, supermarket
tele-	nouns	distant	telescope
thermo-	adj., nouns	heat	thermo-electric, thermometer
trans-	adj., verbs	across	transatlantic, transplant
tri-	adj., nouns	three	tripartite, triangle
ultra-	adj., nouns	extreme, beyond	ultra-modern, ultrasound
un-	adj., participles	not, opposite	uncertain, unexpected
un-	verbs	reverse action	untie, undress
under-	verbs, participles	too little	underestimate, under-developed
uni-	adj., nouns	one	unilateral, unicycle
vice-	nouns	deputy	vice-chairman

Suffixes that form nouns

suffix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
-age	verbs	instance of	breakage, shrinkage
-al	verbs	instance of	refusal, dismissal
-ance, -ancy	adj., verbs	process/state of	reluctance, performance, expectancy
-ation	verbs	process/state of	exploration, starvation
-ation	verbs	product of	organisation, foundation
-ee	verbs	object of verb	payee, employee
-ence, -ency	adj., verbs	process/state of	independence, presidency
-er	nouns	belonging to	teenager, Londoner
-er/or	verbs	person/thing that does	writer, driver, starter, editor
-ess	nouns	female	lioness, waitress
-ette	nouns	small	kitchenette
-ful	nouns	amount held in	spoonful, cupful
-hood	nouns	quality, group, time of	brotherhood, childhood
-ing	nouns	quantity of material	carpeting, tubing
-ing	nouns	activity	farming, surfing
-ism	nouns	belief, practice	communism, impressionism
-ity	adj.	quality of	elasticity, falsity
-ment	verbs	process/result of	government, arrangement
-ness	adj.	quality of	meanness, happiness
-ocracy	nouns	government by	democracy
-ology	nouns	study of	sociology
-phile	nouns	lover of	Anglophile
-phobe	nouns	hater, fearer of	Anglophobe
-phobia	nouns	irrational fear of	arachnophobia (fear of spiders)
-ship	nouns	status, state, quality of	friendship, dictatorship

Suffixes that form nouns or adjectives

suffix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
-ese	place nouns	inhabitant of, language of	Chinese, Vietnamese
-(i)an	nouns	supporter of, related to	Darwinian, republican
-(i)an	nouns	citizen of	Parisian, Moroccan
-ist	nouns	practitioner of	pianist, racist

Suffixes that form adjectives

suffix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
-able/-ible (see here)	verbs	can be (done)	washable, drinkable
-al	nouns	related to	accidental
-centric	nouns	centred on	Eurocentric
-ed	nouns	having	wooded, pointed, blue-eyed
-ful	nouns	full of, providing	useful, helpful
-ic(al) (see here)	nouns	related to	artistic, typical
-ish	adj., nouns	rather (like)	greenish, childish
-ish	place nouns	inhabitant of, language of	Scottish, Turkish
-ive	verbs	can do, does	attractive, selective
-less	nouns	without	careless, homeless
-like	nouns	like	childlike
-ly	nouns	with the quality of	friendly, motherly
-ous	nouns	having	virtuous, ambitious
-proof	nouns	protected/-ing against	bullet-proof, waterproof
-ward	adj.	towards	backward, northward
-y	nouns	like, characterised by	creamy, wealthy

Suffixes that form adverbs

suffix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
-ly	adj.	in an (adjective) way	calmly, slowly
-ward(s)	adj.	towards	backwards, northward(s)

Suffixes that form verbs

suffix	mainly added to	usual meaning	examples
-ate	nouns	causative	orchestrate, chlorinate
-en	adj.	make, become	deafen, ripen, harden
-ify	adj., nouns	causative: make	simplify, electrify
-ise/-ize (see here)	adj., nouns	various	modernise, symbolise

Combining forms

Some prefixes and suffixes combine mainly or often with other prefixes and suffixes. Examples are phono- (‘sound’), -logy (‘study of’), -scope (‘instrument for seeing’), -metry (‘measurement’).

• phonology
• telescope
• micrometry

Negative words with no positive equivalent

Some words with negative prefixes have no positive opposite equivalent: for example, somebody can be distressed, but not tressed. Other examples:

• dishevelled, disappoint, discard, disclose, disconcert, disfigure, dismiss, dispose, incessant, indelible, uncanny, uncouth, ungainly, unkempt, unnerved, unspeakable, unwieldy, unwitting

Productivity

Certain prefixes and suffixes are productive: they are often used to form new words. And some can be added to almost any word of the right grammatical kind.

• I’m not anti-tourists; I just don’t want them in our town.
• The place has got a real 1970s-like atmosphere.

But most are limited to certain words or kinds of word, and cannot be used to invent new vocabulary items.

• (not uncredible, subinteresting, considerage) or drinkless

note

For hyphens after co-, ex-, etc, (see here).