In this lesson, we’ll study common prefixes with their meaning and examples for ESL Students.
Prefixes
A prefix is a group of letters that is added to the beginning of a word and changes the meaning of the word.
Below is a list of prefixes plus definitions and examples you should know.
1. Ex-
- Definition: Former, older
- Words: ex-president, ex-boyfriend, exterminate, ex-wife
- Example sentence: I needed a lot of retail therapy to help me get over my ex-boyfriend.
2. Dis-
- Definition: Not, opposite of
- Words: discord, discomfort, disengage
- Example sentence: Some patients don’t refer to the discomfort of angina as an ache; rather they describe it as sudden sharp pains.
3. Anti-
- Definition: Against
- Words: antidote, antisocial, antifreeze, antithesis
- Example sentence: She was aware that, because of their circumscribed and antisocial existence, the question of godparents would probably pose yet another problem.
4. Pre-
- Definition: Before
- Words: preview, pretest, prevent, preplan
- Example sentence: The news that no less than five new endings were shot due to poor reaction at the preview screenings hardly augers well.
5. Mis-
- Definition: Wrong, wrongly
- Words: misjudge, misinterpret, misguided, mismatch, misplace
- Example sentence: He had misjudged the situation, and if he had added to his problems, it was his own fault.
6. Post-
- Definition: After
- Words: postgraduate, postdate, postnatal
- Example sentence: For these students, this was manifested by a decision not to continue with physics at postgraduate level.
7. Auto-
- Definition: Self
- Words: automobile, autobus, automatic
- Example sentence: I think that it comes down to the fact that people do feel very dependent on their automobile.
8. Re-
- Definition: Again
- Words: rewrite, reread, return, review
- Example sentence: Take one of your recent essays and rewrite the introduction according to the pattern suggested.
9. Un-
- Definition: Not
- Words: uncover, unlock, unsafe, unemployment
- Example sentence: Marco was in his room and wouldn’t unlock the door until Jamieson banged on it and ordered him to come out.
10. Ir-
- Definition: Not
- Words: irregular (irregular plural nouns or irregular verbs), irresponsible, irritate
- Example sentence: We don’t want to squander that through lax cost control, irresponsible pay increases and things like that.
11. Mid-
- Definition: Middle
- Words: midterm, Midwest, midstream, midway, midnight
- Example sentence: The midterm tests for background information on the U.S. system.
12. Over-
- Definition: Too much
- Words: overload, overdo, overact, overboard, overdose, overweight
- Example sentence: Don’t overload your lecture with details that do not bear on the topic under discussion.
13. Semi-
- Definition: Half
- Words: semicircle, semiprecious, semicolon, semifinal
- Example sentence: I looked through the window, a large semicircle that extended almost to the ceiling.
14. Fore-
- Definition: Before
- Words: foreshadow, foresight, foreseeable, forecast, foreground
- Example sentence: If you had had more foresight, you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble.
15. In-
- Definition: Not
- Words: invade, inedible, incapable
- Example sentence: He seems incapable of walking past a music shop without going in and buying another CD.
16. Non-
- Definition: Not, without
- Words: nonsense, nonverbal, nonstick, nonspecific
- Example sentence: It is a nonspecific test and must be interpreted in the context of the total clinical presentation.
17. Inter-
- Definition: Between, among
- Words: interstate, international, intermission, intermingle, interface
- Example sentence: From the interstate highway which runs nearby, nothing about this bluff looks any different from thousands of others.
18. Sub-
- Definition: Under
- Words: submarine, subtext, substandard, substitute, subversive
- Example sentence: The submarine had had time to submerge before the warship could approach.
19. Super-
- Definition: Above
- Words: supersonic, superstar, supernatural, superstore
- Example sentence: Residents were accused of nimbyism when they tried to stop the new superstore development.
20. Trans-
- Definition: Across
- Words: transatlantic, transcend, transfer, transact, transport
- Example sentence: We also want to see more transatlantic flights, particularly to regional airports.
Learn more about common suffixes in English.
English Prefixes | Infographic
Common Prefixes with Their Meanings
Last Updated on February 21, 2023