Prefixes in English! Prefixes are letters which we add to the beginning of a word to make a new word with a different meaning. Unlike suffixes, prefixes can, for example, create a new word opposite in meaning to the word the prefix is attached to. The list below shows common prefixes in English that you should know.
Common Prefixes in English
a-, an-
- Meaning: without, lack of, not
- Example: amoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous
ante-
- Meaning: before, earlier, in front of
- Example: antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior
anti-
- Meaning: against, opposite of
- Example: anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody
auto-
- Meaning: self, same
- Example: autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus
circum-
- Meaning: around, about
- Example: circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe
co-
- Meaning: with, together
- Example: co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author
com-, con-
- Meaning: together, with
- Example: companion, commingle, contact, concentrate
contra-, contro-
- Meaning: against, opposite
- Example: contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy
de-
- Meaning: down, off, away from
- Example: devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce
dis-
- Meaning: not, apart, away
- Example: disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect
em-, en-
- Meaning: put into, cover with
- Example: embrace, embed, enclose, entangle, enslave, encase
ex-
- Meaning: out of, from, former
- Example: extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president
extra-
- Meaning: beyond, outside, more than
- Example: extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant
hetero-
- Meaning: different, other
- Example: heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous
homo-, homeo-
- Meaning: same, alike
- Example: homonym, homophone, homeostasis, homosexual
hyper-
- Meaning: over, more, beyond
- Example: hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical
il-, im-, in-, ir-
- Meaning: not, without
- Example: illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible
inter-
- Meaning: between, among
- Example: intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate
intra-, intro-
- Meaning: within, inside
- Example: intravenous, intragalactic, introvert
macro-
- Meaning: large, prominent
- Example: macroeconomics, macrostructure, macrocosm
micro-
- Meaning: very small
- Example: microscope, microcosm, microbe
mono-
- Meaning: one, single, alone
- Example: monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony
non-
- Meaning: not, without
- Example: nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction
omni-
- Meaning: all, every
- Example: omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional
post-
- Meaning: after, behind
- Example: postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative
pre-, pro-
- Meaning: before, forward
- Example: precede, predict, project, prologue
sub-
- Meaning: under, lower
- Example: submarine, subsidiary, substandard
sym-, syn-
- Meaning: same time, together
- Example: symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse
tele-
- Meaning: from or over a distance
- Example: telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone
trans-
- Meaning: across, beyond, through
- Example: transmit, transaction, translation, transfer
tri-
- Meaning: three, every third
- Example: tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon
un-
- Meaning: not, lacking, opposite of
- Example: unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly
uni-
- Meaning: one, single
- Example: unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral
up-
- Meaning: to the top or north, higher/better
- Example: upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo
Common Prefixes | Infographic
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