Prefix - Meaning, Definition and Examples List

Examples of Prefixes

Base Word

Prefix + Base Word

Examples

A-

Top

Atop

It is placed on top of the cupboard.

It is placed atop the other table.

New

Anew

I will wear my new dress tomorrow.

Let us begin anew tomorrow.

Shore

Ashore

We were sitting on the shore and enjoying the view.

We sat ashore and enjoyed the view.

Float

Afloat

The kids were floating like boats on the surface of the water.

The kids stayed afloat like boats on the surface of the water.

Drift

Adrift

Their boat drifted downstream.

Their boat went adrift.

Loud

Aloud

The music was too loud.

They played the music aloud.

Like

Alike

She looks like her father.

The father and daughter look alike.

Far

Afar

We travelled far to get these hats.

We got these hats from afar.

Symmetrical

Asymmetrical

The drawings are not symmetrical.

The drawings are asymmetrical.

Theist

Atheist

He is a theist.

He is an atheist.

Typical

Atypical

It is very typical of them.

It is very atypical of them.

Glow

Aglow

We could see her happy glow.

She was aglow with happiness.

Un-

Do

Undo

They had to do everything at once.

They had to undo everything at once.

Pack

Unpack

I packed my bag.

I unpacked my bag.

Clear

Unclear

It was completely clear.

It was completely unclear.

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

I feel very comfortable here.

I feel very uncomfortable here.

Usual

Unusual

Taking ten percent of the bill as service charge is usual.

Taking ten percent of the bill as service charge is unusual.

True

Untrue

All that you heard is true.

All that you heard is untrue.

Equal

Unequal

We cut the cake into equal pieces.

The cake was cut into unequal pieces.

Tidy

Untidy

Shravanti’s room was tidy.

Shravanti’s room was untidy.

Clean

Unclean

My mom put our clean clothes to dry.

My mom put our unclean clothes in the washing machine.

Able

Unable

I will be able to finish it by evening.

I will be unable to finish it by evening.

Stable

Unstable

The doctor told us that her condition was stable.

The doctor told us that her condition was unstable.

Certain

Uncertain

I feel certain about it.

I feel uncertain about it.

Employed

Unemployed

They are employed.

They are unemployed.

Aware

Unaware

We are aware of the consequences.

We are unaware of the consequences.

Sure

Unsure

I am sure that this will help you.

I am unsure that this will help you.

Like

Unlike

He is like his mother.

He is unlike his father.

Happy

Unhappy

The children are happy to see the rain.

The children are unhappy to see the rain.

Fair

Unfair

What you said right now is fair.

What you said right now is unfair.

Known

Unknown

It is a widely-known book.

The status of the parcel is unknown.

Tie

Untie

You will have to untie and tie it again.

Common

Uncommon

We are looking at the common and uncommon factors.

Interested

Uninterested

I am interested.

I am uninterested.

Lucky

Unlucky

I feel so lucky.

I feel so unlucky.

Im-

Mature

Immature

She seems mature.

She seems rather immature.

Modest

Immodest

The modest behaviour of the boy was much appreciated.

Nobody was in favour of such immodest behaviour.

Mortal

Immortal

All human beings are mortal.

No human being is immortal.

Perfect

Imperfect

It is the perfect ratio.

It is not imperfect.

Moral

Immoral

Everyone is expected to showcase moral behaviour.

Immoral behaviour will not be entertained.

Partial

Impartial

A partial portion of the food was undercooked.

She is impartial.

Balance

Imbalance

I can balance the basketball on my index finger for a minute or two.

There is an imbalance somewhere.

Patient

Impatient

I am patient with my kids.

The teacher seemed very impatient.

In-

Complete

Incomplete

My work is complete.

Do not leave anything incomplete.

Tolerance

Intolerance

I think I have a high tolerance level.

Intolerance can be one of the reasons for your frequent fights.

Difference

Indifference

There is a difference between being a boss and being a leader.

Sheela’s indifference to the matter hurt her brother’s feelings.

Expensive

Inexpensive

This car is really expensive.

Getting together at someone’s place and cooking together is the more inexpensive and better option.

Significant

Insignificant

Differentiate which among these are significant and insignificant.

Sincere

Insincere

He is a sincere person.

He is an insincere person.

Competent

Incompetent

Tharun is a highly competent gastroenterologist.

You have to prove that you are not incompetent.

Visible

Invisible

The roads were not clearly visible.

I wrote the letter with invisible ink.

Dependent

Independent

Complex sentences have a dependent clause and an independent clause.

Sufficient

Insufficient

This is sufficient.

I have insufficient balance to make a call.

Distinct

Indistinct

The colours are so distinct.

I could not hear as the voices were indistinct.

Disciplined

Indisciplined

Most children are disciplined, but there are a few indisciplined children.

Il-

Legitimate

Illegitimate

That seems like a legitimate excuse.

The team strictly discourages illegitimate practices.

Logical

Illogical

You are mostly logical, but sometimes, you are highly illogical.

Legal

Illegal

The document lays out all the legal terms.

Anything illegal is punishable.

Legible

Illegible

Make it legible.

Your writing is illegible.

Licit

Illicit

Overtaking on highways is licit, but overtaking on flyovers is illicit.

Literate

Illiterate

His grandparents were illiterate, but his parents were literate.

Ir-

Regular

Irregular

You should take regular breaks.

We have an irregular supply of water.

Responsible

Irresponsible

Be responsible.

Nothing good will come out of being irresponsible.

Reversible

Irreversible

Some changes are reversible.

The damage smoking does to your lungs is irreversible.

Relevant

Irrelevant

Find out which of these are relevant and which of them are irrelevant.

Respective

Irrespective

The teacher asked the children to be seated according to their respective roll numbers.

Everyone should be treated with respect, irrespective of their age.

Rational

Irrational

They try to give a rational explanation, but it is always irrational.

De-

Stress

Destress

Do not stress yourself too much over this.

It is necessary to destress yourself every once in a while.

Bug

Debug

There is a bug in this application.

Debug your computer; that should rectify the problems.

Code

Decode

They coded the program.

We have to learn how to decode people’s expressions.

Forestation

Deforestation

With every attempt at deforestation, you must make sure to encourage forestation.

Frost

Defrost

It feels miraculous to experience the first frost.

We defrosted our fridge last week.

Construct

Deconstruct

Constructing something is not as easy as deconstructing it.

Activate

Deactivate

I activated the NFS option on my phone.

I had to deactivate my account.

Hydrate

Dehydrate

This climate will cause dehydration, so drink a lot of water and stay hydrated.

Contaminate

Decontaminate

Industrial wastes contaminate rivers.

We are trying to decontaminate our water bodies.

Clutter

Declutter

The clutter and declutter of life is what makes life interesting.

Re-

Do

Redo

I am confident I can do this.

The children were asked to redo the diagram.

Use

Reuse

It seems like using, recycling, and reusing is the only way.

View

Review

Are you able to view the monument?

We were asked to review the suggestions.

Appear

Reappear

The shooting star appeared just for a moment.

We gazed at the sky to see if the shooting star would reappear.

Work

Rework

We worked on the project together.

Were you asked to rework?

Join

Rejoin

Would you join me for lunch?

I am planning to rejoin the course.

Calculate

Recalculate

She said she calculated correctly, but we recalculated just to be sure.

Read

Reread

I have already read the novel, ‘Beloved’, but I want to reread it.

Write

Rewrite

The teacher asked us to write a letter to our younger self.

We were sure we would be asked to rewrite it.

Enter

Reenter

You can enter through the door on the right.

You will not be allowed to reenter the venue.

Gain

Regain

What will you gain by working here?

You will have to regain your health.

Sell

Resell

I started selling handmade gifts last year.

You can resell used cars.

Absorb

Reabsorb

A tissue paper can absorb the oil better than a newspaper.

As long as plants are able to reabsorb water when required, they will live.

Build

Rebuild

Do you want to build a snowman?

We have to rebuild our handmade arcade as the wind blew it all down.

Assemble

Reassemble

We were asked to assemble in front of the parking area.

We were trying to reassemble the pieces of the picture puzzle.

Discover

Rediscover

Who discovered America?

They are trying to rediscover their creative intellect.

Iterate

Reiterate

The One Voice Children’s Choir iterated the song beautifully.

All the points were reiterated for clarity.

Arrange

Rearrange

The teacher asked them to arrange themselves in a line according to their roll numbers.

I am going to rearrange my cupboard today.

Dis-

Obedient

Disobedient

Be obedient.

The little boy is disobedient.

Comfort

Discomfort

The comfort of the guests is essential.

Do not cause any discomfort to anyone.

Courage

Discourage

I mustered up the courage to go on the trip alone.

Do not discourage anyone from trying new things.

Obey

Disobey

Obey your parents and elders.

Do not disobey your elders.

Able

Disable

I think he will be able to help you with the machine.

Disable the Bluetooth connection if you want to put it on speaker.

Appear

Disappear

The sun kept appearing and disappearing as we moved.

Approve

Disapprove

Your parents must approve if you want to go on the trip.

My father disapproves of drinking and smoking.

Arm

Disarm

We armed ourselves with spoons and ladles for our sibling fight.

The police disarmed the robbers before arresting them.

Prove

Disprove

You have to prove yourself.

Various scholars and scientists have been trying to disprove the theory of relativity.

Engage

Disengage

We engaged ourselves in intellectual conversations.

I disengaged myself from the outside world for a while.

Agree

Disagree

Do you agree with us?

Is there anyone who disagrees?

Like

Dislike

I like having gelato.

What are your dislikes?

Honest

Dishonest

Always be honest.

Do not be dishonest about what you feel.

Respect

Disrespect

Respect one another.

Do not disrespect your elders.

Continue

Discontinue

Do you want to continue the course?

I would like to discontinue.

Infect

Disinfect

Always consuming food from outside will infect you.

Nowadays, you have to disinfect the fruits and vegetables you buy from grocery stores.

Advantage

Disadvantage

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a keto diet?

Mis-

Understand

Misunderstand

Do you understand the problem?

I am worried that you’d misunderstand.

Trust

Mistrust

Trust yourself.

Do not do anything that would cause mistrust.

Behave

Misbehave

Behave well.

You will get into trouble if you misbehave.

Judge

Misjudge

Try not to judge anyone.

She felt she was misjudged.

Place

Misplace

Place your bags in your seats.

Ensure not to misplace your ID cards.

Read

Misread

I read all kinds of books.

Be careful not to misread the signs.

Interpret

Misinterpret

It is better if you can interpret the signs earlier.

He misinterpreted what I said.

Fortune

Misfortune

Fortunes and misfortunes are a part of life.

Manage

Mismanage

The cat managed to escape from the room.

The office looked completely mismanaged.

Use

Misuse

You can use these plates.

Do not misuse the freedom you have been given.

Lead

Mislead

Who will lead the ceremony?

Be careful not to be misled.

Conception

Misconception

What is your conception of breakout rooms?

Do not form a misconception before you see what they are.

Calculate

Miscalculate

We had to calculate our monthly expenses.

Be careful not to miscalculate the readings.

Conduct

Misconduct

Maintain good conduct so that you do not get into trouble.

You will be punished for any sort of misconduct.

Pro-

Active

Proactive

Keep yourself active.

They are a proactive group.

Sub-

Conscious

Subconscious

You have to be conscious of your surroundings.

Dreams are the reflections of the subconscious mind.

Editor

Subeditor

The editor and subeditor will review your work before publication.

Standard

Substandard

You will find both standard and substandard products there.

Pre-

Production

Preproduction

The preproduction work seems much more hectic than the actual production.

Set

Preset

The settings will be preset, but you can set your own preferences if required.

Register

Pre-register

I had come to register myself for the programme.

They told me that we should have pre-registered.

Historic

Prehistoric

You have to look at both historic and pre-historic art.

Determine

Predetermine

If you could predetermine the method, it would be easier to determine the results.

Non-

Alcoholic

Non-alcoholic

We do not serve alcoholic beverages.

My uncle is a non-alcoholic.

Violence

Non-violence

Even when many thought violence was the only way to be free from British rule, Gandhiji followed the path of non-violence.

Fiction

Non-fiction

I like reading both fiction and non-fiction.

Sense

Nonsense

Can you make any sense of what he is saying? No, it is just nonsense.

Living

Non-living

The Earth is inhabited by both living and non-living beings.

Anti-

Inflammatory

Anti-inflammatory

Come back anytime if you notice any inflammatory reactions.

I will give you an anti-inflammatory injection.

Septic

Antiseptic

The wounds have become septic; it could have been avoided if you had applied some antiseptic ointment as soon as you got hurt.

Viral

Antiviral

We were urged to take the antiviral injections as the viral infections spread drastically.

Fungal

Antifungal

Is that a fungal infection?

Some products have antifungal properties.

Bacterial

Antibacterial

Curd is formed as a result of a bacterial reaction.

Neem is known for its antibacterial properties.

Biotic

Antibiotic

Living organisms are referred to as the biotic elements of an environment.

I had to take some antibiotics as I was not getting better.

Post-

Production

Postproduction

The production and postproduction stages are equally important.

Modern

Postmodern

Raimy is focusing on the modern and postmodern aspects of ecocriticism for her doctoral research.

Graduate

Postgraduate

You are required to have completed your graduate or postgraduate studies in the respective fields.

Operative

Postoperative

Fiona was brought out of the operative ward around 4 a.m. Now, she is in the postoperative ward.

Inter-

Dependent

Interdependent

He is dependent on his son.

Hard work and perseverance are two interdependent aspects.

Disciplinary

Interdisciplinary

Disciplinary actions will be taken in the case of any misconduct.

I have signed up for an interdisciplinary programme.

Departmental

Interdepartmental

We have competition at the departmental and interdepartmental levels.

National

International

National flights leave from Terminals 1 and 2, and all international flights leave from Terminals 3 and 4.

State

Interstate

Karnataka is a state in South India.

The Interstate Football Tournament is held at Bangalore Football Stadium.

Group

Intergroup

We have planned group and intergroup activities for today.