Prefixes and suffixes: Definition, List and Examples

 By Narmeen Khan

Prefixes and suffixes are essential for building a strong English vocabulary. These word parts, when added to the beginning or end of a root word, create new words and meanings. Mastering prefixes and suffixes not only enhances your understanding of word formation but also strengthens your overall grasp of the language. Expanding your vocabulary through these word elements allows you to communicate more effectively in both writing and speech.

Prefixes and suffixes

A prefix is a group of letters that is put before a word to form a new word with a new meaning.

Prefix	Word	New word
Re	think	Rethink
Mis	behave	Misbehave
Semi	circle	Semicircle
Im	possible	Impossible
Pre	view	Preview
Dis	obey	Disobey
In	justice	Injustice
Tri	cycle	Tricycle
Un	able	Unable
ir	relevant	Irrelevant

A suffix is a group of letters that is added after a word to form a new word with a new meaning.

Word	Suffix	New word
Collect	ion	Collection
Kind	ness	Kindness
Hard	en	Harden
Hope	ful	Hopeful
Follow	er	Follower
Convert	ible	Convertible
Bad	ly	Badly
Beak	able	Breakable
Care	less	Careless
Enjoy	ment	Enjoyment

Here are meanings of some common prefixes and suffixes.

Prefix	Meaning	Example
Anti-	against	antinarcotics
Dis-	not or removal	disappear, dismount
Inter-	between	interact
Non-	without	nonfat
Pre-	before	preview
semi-	half	semicircle
Un-	opposite	unhappy
Post-	after	postwar
Tri-	three	tricycle

 

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-able	capable of being	solvable
-less	without	motionless
-ful	full of	cheerful
-en	to do, made of, become	fasten, woolen, strengthen
-ness	state of being	heaviness
-holic	one who is obsessed	workaholic
-tion	state or quality of	attention
-ist	profession	artist
-ment	action or process of	movement
-fy	the process of making into	amplify

Some more examples

Prefixes	Suffixes
Antisocial	Loudly
Defrost	Believable
Misjudge	Stronger
Impure	Wooden
Disown	Joyous
Explode	Delightful
Proactive	Reversible
Prepaid	Direction
Incorrect	Restless
Unusual	Softness

FAQs

1. What is prefix and suffix examples with definition?

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
Examples:
Un-: means “not” → Unkind (not kind)
Re-: means “again” → Rewrite (write again)
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its form or meaning.
Examples:
-ful: means “full of” → Hopeful (full of hope)
-less: means “without” → Careless (without care)

2. What are prefixes and suffixes in a list?

List of Prefixes
Un-: means “not” → Unhappy (not happy)
Re-: means “again” → Redo (do again)
Pre-: means “before” → Preheat (heat before)
Dis-: means “not” → Dislike (not like)
Mis-: means “wrong” → Misplace (put in the wrong place)
List of Suffixes
-ful: means “full of” → Joyful (full of joy)
-less: means “without” → Hopeless (without hope)
-ly: means “in a certain way” → Quickly (in a quick way)
-ness: means “state of being” → Kindness (state of being kind)
-able: means “able to” → Lovable (able to be loved)

3. What is prefix and suffix in name example?

A prefix in a name is a title added before the name. Examples: Mr. John Smith, Dr. Emily Brown, Miss Sarah Johnson.
A suffix in a name is a title added after the name. Examples: Robert King Jr., David Lee Sr., James Carter III.
In short, a prefix comes before the name, and a suffix comes after the name.

4. What are 12 examples of prefixes and suffixes?

12 Examples of Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes:
Un-: not → Unhappy (not happy)
Re-: again → Rewrite (write again)
Pre-: before → Preheat (heat before)
Dis-: not → Dislike (not like)
Mis-: wrong → Misunderstand (understand wrongly)
In-: not → Inactive (not active)
Suffixes:
7. -ful: full of → Joyful (full of joy)
8. -less: without → Careless (without care)
9. -ly: in a certain way → Quickly (in a quick way)
10. -ness: state of being → Kindness (being kind)
11. -able: able to → Readable (able to be read)
12. -er: one who → Writer (one who writes)

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Affixes: Prefixes and Suffixes in the English Language

 What is an affix? At first glance, the words “affixes,” “prefixes” and “suffixes” can seem a little confusing, but these grammatical elements of the English language are essential to forming words within sentences in order to sufficiently convey what is needed. In this article, we are going to look at the meaning of a prefix and a suffix, both of which fall under the category of an affix.

Affix

An affix is simply a grammatical element, in the form of a group of letters that is added to the main part of a word, also known as the root in order to create modified forms of the word. Affix consists of prefix and suffix.

Prefix

A prefix is a type of affix which is attached to the start of the root word. There are many different prefixes that are extremely common within the English language.

Suffix

A suffix is very similar to a prefix in that it is a group of letters which is attached to the root of a word, only this time, the letters are attached to the end of the word rather than the beginning.

Affixes

Examples of Prefixes

We are now going to take a look at some examples of these prefixes and words in which you might see them, as well as displaying them in sentences in order to better understand their use.

• un – this prefix means not or reverses the meaning of words. Some examples of words that can use this prefix are; unreal, untidy, unbreakable, unreliable.
• re – this prefix refers to something happening again. Some examples of words that use this prefix are; revive, renew, reveal, regenerate.
• dis – this prefix means not, away or separate. Some examples of words that can use this prefix are; disappear, disregard, disengage.
• pre – this prefix means before. Some examples of words that can use this prefix are; prepare, premeditate, prefix, prejudice.
• mis – this prefix means wrong or bad. Some examples of words that can use the prefix are; misconception, miscarriage, mistake, misjudge.
• en – this prefix means within or make. Some examples of words that use this prefix are; enforce, enslave, encourage, engrave.
• anti – this prefix means against. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; anticlockwise, antidote, antibiotic.
• co – this prefix means with. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; co-worker, co-dependant, co-operate.
• de – this prefix means off, away from or down. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; defame, defer, determine, degenerate.
• fore – this prefix means before. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; foreward, forehead, foresee, foreskin.
• mono – this prefix means single or one. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; monobrow, monopoly, monotone.
• para – this prefix means next to or beside. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; paraphrase, parachute, paramedic, paraglider.
• sub – this prefix means under. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; submerge, submarine, subtitle.
• trans – this prefix means across. Some examples of words that use the prefix are; transgender, transparent, transatlantic, transport.

Examples of Suffixes

We are now going to take a look at some examples of common suffixes and some words which they are used with, as well as looking at these words in action so that we can get a better understanding of their use.

• acy – this suffix refers to the state or quality of something. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; legacy, accuracy, democracy.
• dom – this suffix refers to a place of being. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; stardom, freedom, kingdom.
• ism – this suffix means belief. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; Hinduism, Judaism, escapism.
• ist – this suffix refers to an object or person who does an action. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; protagonist, typist, lyricist, journalist.
• ness – this suffix is a state of being. Some examples of words which use the suffix are; happiness, ruefulness, gratefulness, kindness.
• en – this suffix means to become. Some examples of words which use the suffix are; deepen, harden, sharpen, tighten.
• ful – this suffix means that something is noted for. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; beautiful, plentiful, useful, bashful.
• ish – this suffix refers to the character of something or someone. Some words which use this suffix are; childish, squeamish, blueish.
• ive – this suffix refers to the nature of the object. Some examples of words which use this suffix are; invasive, informative, attentive.
• ing – this suffix refers to an action which is happening. Some examples of words which use the suffix are; going, becoming, taking, relaxing.
• ly – this suffix means related to. Some examples of words which use the suffix are; softly, quickly, ably, angrily.
• ward(s) – this suffix relates to the direction. Some examples of words which use the suffix are; towards, afterwards, forward, backward.

Prefixes and Suffixes

Example Sentences of Prefixes

We will now look at some examples of sentences in which these common prefixes might be used.

• This book is unbelievable.
• I must return to work.
• When my sister feels sad, she tends to disappear into her bedroom.
• We are going to prepare the food.
• I made a terrible mistake.
• Last week, my boyfriend and I got engaged.
• I do not like to see antisocial behaviour in my street.
• Are you co-pilot?
• He will determine what the problem is.
• You have a lump on your forehead.
• That man has a large monobrow on his face.
• The man used the parachute when the plane crashed.
• I completely submerge myself underwater when I swim.
• My friend is flying transatlantic.

Example Sentences of Suffixes

We are now going to take a look at these suffixes used in a sentence:

• The accuracy of this clock is amazing.
•  He was so glad to regain his freedom.
• My friend follows the faith of Sikhism
• The antagonist in the story was interesting.
• She always shows such faithfulness to her partner.
• I always try to strengthen my muscles.
• My daughter is very beautiful.
• This new coat is very stylish.
• The surgery is invasive but necessary.
• We are running to the park.
• He stroked the cat very gently.
• I walked towards the sea.

Conclusion

As you can see, using prefixes and suffixes can be a very useful way of expressing meaning in a word or sentence. By adding a prefix or suffix you can alter or modify the meaning of a word. Both of these word types fall under the wider title of an affix.

Affix Infographic

https://7esl.com/affix/