Prefixes

A prefix goes at the beginning of a word. A suffix goes at the end of a word. A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify or change its meaning. This is a list of the most common prefixes in English, together with their basic meaning and some examples. You can find more detail or precision for each prefix in any good dictionary. The origins of words are extremely complicated. You should use this list as a guide only, to help you understand possible meanings. But be very careful, because often what appears to be a prefix is not a prefix at all. Note also that this list does not include elements like "auto-" or " bio-", because these are "combining forms", not prefixes. Prefix aalso anMeaning not, without to, towards ain the process of, in a particular state of acompletely abalso absalso a-, ac-, af-, ag- al-, an-, ap-, atas-, ataway, from movement to, change into, addition or increase before, preceding also antopposing, against, the opposite all over, all around completely having, covered with beaffect with (added to nouns) cause to be (added to adjectives) comalso co-, col-, with, jointly, befog becalm combat, codriver, collude, confide, abashed abdicate, abstract advance, adulterate, adjunct, ascend, affiliate, affirm, aggravate, alleviate, annotate, apprehend, arrive, assemble, attend antecedent, ante-room anti-aircraft, antibiotic, anticlimax, Antarctic bespatter, beset bewitch, bemuse bejewelled Examples atheist, anaemic aside, aback a-hunting, aglow anew

ad-

anteanti-

con-, corcontracounter-

completely against, opposite opposition, opposite direction down, away

corrode contraceptive counter-attack, counteract descend, despair, depend, deduct denude, denigrate de-ice, decamp diagonal disadvantage, dismount, disbud, disbar engulf, enmesh enlighten, embitter entangle, enrage exit, exclude, expand exalt, extol excruciate, exasperate ex-wife extracurricular hemisphere hypersonic, hyperactive hypodermic, hypothermia infertile, inappropriate, impossible influence, influx, imbibe infrared, infrastructure interact, interchange intramural, intravenous

de-

completely removal, reversal

diadis-

also dialso di-

through, across negation, removal, expulsion put into or on

en-

also em-

bring into the condition of intensification out upward

ex-

also e-, efcompletely previous

extrahemihyperhypoalso il-, iminalso il-, im-, ir-

outside, beyond half beyond, more than, more than normal under not, without in, into, towards, inside below between, among inside, within

infrainterintra-

nonobalso oc-, of-, op-

absence, negation blocking, against, concealing surpassing, exceeding

non-smoker, non-alcoholic obstruct, occult, offend, oppose outperform outbuilding, outboard overconfident, overburdened, overjoyed overcoat, overcast perimeter postpone pre-adolescent, prelude, precondition pro-African proconsul propulsion prologue repaint, reappraise, reawake semicircle, semi-conscious submarine, subsoil sub-lieutenant sub-tropical synchronize, symmetry transnational, transatlantic translate ultraviolet, ultrasonic

outexternal, away from excessively, completely overupper, outer, over, above peripostpreround, about after in time or order before in time, place, order or importance favouring, in support of acting for promotion forwards or away before in time, place or order resemialso suc-, suf, sug-, sup-, sur-, susagain half, partly at a lower position sublower in rank nearly, approximately synalso symin union, acting together across, beyond transinto a different state ultrabeyond

extreme not unreversal or cancellation of action or state beneath, below underlower in rank not enough

ultramicroscopic unacceptable, unreal, unhappy, unmanned unplug, unmask underarm, undercarriage undersecretary underdeveloped

Suffixes
A suffix goes at the end of a word. A prefix goes at the beginning.

A suffix is a group of letters placed at the end of a word to make a new word. A suffix can make a new word in one of two ways:
1. inflectional (grammatical): for example, changing singular to plural (dog > dogs), or changing present tense to past tense (walk > walked). In this case, the basic meaning of the word does not change. 2. derivational (the new word has a new meaning, "derived" from the original word): for example, teach > teacher or care > careful

Inflectional suffixes
Inflectional suffixes do not change the meaning of the original word. So in "Every day I walk to school" and "Yesterday I walked to school", the words walk and walked have the same basic meaning. In "I have one car" and "I have two cars", the basic meaning of the words car and cars is exactly the same. In these cases, the suffix is added simply for grammatical "correctness". Look at these examples:
example original word dog example suffixed word dogs

suffix

grammatical change

-s

plural

-en -s

plural (irregular) 3rd person singular present past tense past participle past participle (irregular) continuous/progressive comparative superlative

ox like

oxen he likes he worked he has worked he has eaten he is sleeping bigger the biggest

-ed

work

-en -ing -er -est

eat sleep big big

Derivational suffixes
With derivational suffixes, the new word has a new meaning, and is usually a different part of speech. But the new meaning is related to the old meaning - it is "derived" from the old meaning. We can add more than one suffix, as in this example:
derive (verb) + tion = derivation (noun) + al = derivational (adjective)

There are several hundred derivational suffixes. Here are some of the more common ones:
example original word explore hesitate persuade divide teach music example suffixed word exploration hesitation persuasion division teacher musician

suffix

making

-ation

-sion

nouns

-er -cian

-ess -ness -al -ary -ment

god sad arrive diction treat jealous victor accident imagine tax adjectives brother ease sorrow forget adverbs helpful terror private hyphen

goddess sadness arrival dictionary treatment jealousy victory accidental imaginary taxable brotherly easy sorrowful forgetful helpfully terrorize privatize hyphenate

-y

-al -ary -able -ly -y

-ful

-ly

-ize verbs -ate

Categories of Antonyms
There are three categories of antonyms: Graded antonyms deal with levels of the meaning of the words, like if something is not good, is may still not be bad. There is a scale involved with some words, and besides good and bad there can be average, fair, excellent, terrible, poor, or satisfactory. Examples include:

Fat and skinny Young and old Happy and sad Hard and soft Last and first Foolish and wise Fast and slow Warm and cool Wide and narrow Abundant and scarce Joy and grief Dark and light Dangerous and safe Clever and foolish Early and late Empty and full Smart and dumb Risky and safe Bad and good Pretty and ugly Best and worst Simple and challenging Soft and hard Worried and calm Sane and crazy Rich and poor Cool and hot Wet and dry Late and early Ignorant and educated Big and small Optimistic and pessimistic Excited and bored Dull and interesting

Complementary antonyms have a relationship where there is no middle ground. There are only two possibilities, either one or the other. Examples include:

Man and woman Push and pull Dead and alive Off and on Day and night Absent and present Exit and entrance Sink or float True or false Pass and fail Former and latter Input and output Interior and exterior Exhale and inhale Input and output Occupied and vacant Leave and arrive Pre and post Question and answer Single and married Hired and fired Brother and sister Before and after Crooked and straight Identical and different Natural or artificial Silence or noise Identical or different Yes and no Wet and dry Sharp and dull Raise and lower Fantasy and reality

Relational antonyms are sometimes considered a subcategory of complementary antonyms. With these pairs, for there to be a relationship, both must exist. Examples are:

Husband and wife Doctor and patient Buy and sell Predator and prey Above and below Give and receive Teach and learn Instructor and pupil Servant and master Borrow and lend Come and go Toward and away

Divisor and dividend Parent and child East and west North and south Seller and buyer Mother and daughter Slave and master Floor and ceiling Front and back Up and down Win and lose Part and whole Offense and defense Behind and ahead Before and after On or off Trap and release Lost and found Left and right Give and get Employer employee

Best Answer

1.short-long 2.enemies-friends 3.happy-sad 4.shy-confident 5.big-small 6.tall-short 7.shiny-rusty 8.fast-slow 9.clean-dirty 10.strong-weak 11.hot-cold 12.yes-no 13.in-out 14.up-down 15.print-cursive 16.black-white 17.wrong-right 18.clear-blurry 19.winner-loser 20.start-finish 21.dead-alive 22.dim-bright 23.soft-hard 24.smooth-rough 25.old-young 26.wet-dry 27.empty-full

28.good-bad 29.bahaved-noisy 30.fixed-broken 31.pretty-ugly 32.plus-minus 33.positive-negative 34.lady-man 35.lass-lad 36.sick-healthy 37.thin-fat 38.sweet-sour 39.rich-poor 40.high-low 41.smart-dull 42.me-you 43.colorfull-dull 44.disabled-strong 45.dark-light 46.lost-found 47.antonyms-synonyms 48.sunny-cloudy 49.liquid-solid 50.give-take Sorry I can't think of 50 more

Choosing a Synonym
There is a certain skill involved in choosing the most appropriate synonym, as not all are created equal. It is important to consider the connotation of the word because some synonyms can inject a different meaning than the one intended. For example, one synonym of sad is "gloomy" however, this word carries quite a negative connotation. Depending on the circumstance you can use it, but if you just want to say that someone is "down," then another synonym such as "blue" or "unhappy" would be more applicable. Here is a list of adjectives and their synonyms that are commonly used to describe people.

Beautiful: Attractive, Pretty, Lovely, Stunning Fair: Just, Objective, Impartial, Unbiased Funny: Humorous, Comical, Hilarious, Hysterical Happy: Content, Joyful, Mirthful, Upbeat Hardworking: Diligent, Determined, Industrious, Enterprising Honest: Honorable, Fair, Sincere, Trustworthy

Intelligent: Smart, Bright, Brilliant, Sharp Introverted: Shy, Bashful, Quiet, Withdrawn Kind:Thoughtful, Considerate, Amiable, Gracious Lazy: Idle, Lackadaisical, Lethargic, Indolent Mean: Unfriendly, Unpleasant, Bad-tempered, Difficult Outgoing: Friendly, Sociable, Warm, Extroverted Rich: Affluent, Wealthy, Well-off, Well-to-do Strong: Stable, Secure, Solid, Tough Unhappy: Sad, Depressed, Melancholy, Miserable Lucky: Auspicious, Fortunate Positive: Optimistic, Cheerful, Starry-eyed, Sanguine Bossy: Controlling, Tyrannical

Here are some miscellaneous words and their synonyms:

Baffle: confuse, deceive Hypocrisy: duplicity, falseness Pacify: appease, placate Recalcitrant: obstinate, stubborn Turbulent: disordered, violent Valid: authorized, legitimate Old: antiquated, ancient, obsolete, extinct, past, prehistoric, venerable, aged True: genuine, reliable, factual, accurate, precise, correct, valid, real Important: required, substantial, vital, essential, primary, significant, requisite, critical Weak: frail, anemic, feeble, infirm, languid, sluggish, puny, fragile