Suffix - Meaning, Definition and Examples List

A suffix is a letter or a syllable that is added to the end of a base word. Learn how suffixes are added and how those words are used in sentences in this article.

Table of Contents

What Is a Suffix?

A short word consisting of one to four letters added to the end of a root word is called a suffix. Just like a prefix, a word with a suffix also has a slightly altered meaning when compared to the root verb. The function of the new word is different from that of the root word. Take, for example, the word ‘happy’. When the suffix ‘ness’ is added, it is written as ‘happiness, which means the state of being content and satisfied. It functions as an abstract noun, not an adjective like the base word ‘happy’.

Definitions of a Suffix

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a suffix as “an affix occurring at the end of a word, base, or phrase”. “A suffix is a letter or group of letters, for example ‘-ly’ or ‘- ness’, which is added to the end of a word in order to form a different word, often of a different word class”, according to the Collins Dictionary.

The table below has a list of a few words along with their suffixes.

List of Common Suffixes with Examples

Examples of Suffixes

Base Word

Base Word + Suffix

Examples

-y

Honest

Honesty

Baskar is an honest man.

One of the qualities you should possess is honesty.

Enquire

Enquiry

I have to enquire about the train timings.

There was an enquiry yesterday.

Cloud

Cloudy

I love gazing at the clouds.

It is extremely cloudy today.

Noise

Noisy

There is a lot of noise coming from the other room.

This place is noisy.

Dust

Dusty

There might be dust accumulated in it.

The tables are dusty.

-ly

Quick

Quickly

The teacher did a quick revision of yesterday’s grammar lesson before starting today’s topic.

Let us go over it quickly.

Proud

Proudly

I am proud of what we have accomplished together.

It was a great feeling to see my father proudly tell everyone about me.

Clever

Cleverly

Raju is a clever boy.

Judy had cleverly recorded what Pearle said.

Broad

Broadly

My brother’s shoulders have become broad.

You can broadly classify them into three categories.

Rare

Rarely

This is such a rare occasion.

We rarely see you two together.

-ty

Certain

Certainty

Sarala was certain they’d win.

They did not have any certainty over the matter.

Sure

Surety

We were sure that we would reach on time.

Do you have any surety when you would receive the money?

Wit

Witty

Shakespeare is known for his wit.

Akansha is a witty orator.

Loyal

Loyalty

I am happy I have loyal friends.

Loyalty is one of the core qualities of any relationship.

Safe

Safety

Do you think we are safe in here?

The air hostess briefed the passengers about the safety procedures to be followed.

-ity

Sensitive

Sensitivity

My teeth are highly sensitive.

This shows a total lack of sensitivity.

Credible

Credibility

Do you know if this is a credible source?

We have to check the credibility of the source.

Creative

Creativity

She has a very creative mind.

Her creativity deserves appreciation.

Mental

Mentality

The health of the mental frame is as important as the physical frame.

There has to be a change in their mentality.

Functional

Functionality

I am surprised this phone is still functional.

They assured them that the functionality of the device would not be affected or compromised.

-ry

Brave

Bravery

It was brave on her part to make that stand.

Stories about bravery inspire people to take a risk and do more for the betterment of all.

Rival

Rivalry

They considered each other rivals.

This kind of rivalry between groups should not be entertained.

Burglar

Burglary

We spotted a burglar across the street.

A burglary was reported in the parallel street.

Baker

Bakery

The baker is known for his crunchy and delicious cookies.

Do you want something from the bakery?

Rocket

Rocketry

The children were excited to see a rocket for real.

My brother is interested in rocketry.

-al

Remove

Removal

They removed all the posters before whitewashing.

They had arranged for the complete removal of all things in the garage.

Approve

Approval

My leave has been approved.

They were waiting for approval.

Arrive

Arrival

When will your train arrive?

Everyone eagerly waited for the arrival of the bride.

Occasion

Occasional

We had to wait for an occasion to meet each other now.

We make occasional phone calls to catch up on each other’s lives.

Try

Trial

We can give it another try.

The store had more than ten trial rooms.

-er

Bright

Brighter

Susan was a bright kid.

This dress looks brighter than the one we saw earlier.

Large

Larger

My mom packed food in a single large container.

They planned to move to a larger house.

Big

Bigger

As soon as she saw her parents, she gave them a big smile.

We were looking for a bigger room.

Short

Shorter

They have informed us that there would be a short delay.

Can you write a shorter explanation?

Light

Lighter

I just wanted some light makeup.

The bag seemed lighter all of a sudden.

-est

Late

Latest

The bus is late today.

What is his latest movie?

High

Highest

I cannot sing high notes, can you?

This is the highest temperature that has been recorded this year.

Tall

Tallest

Sanjana is tall.

She is the tallest girl in class.

Sweet

Sweetest

This gulab jamun is extremely sweet.

She is the sweetest person I have ever met.

Thick

Thickest

Niya ordered a thick milkshake.

Infanta has the thickest hair.

-age

Use

Usage

Can I use these jars?

The cost will depend on your usage.

Break

Breakage

It is important to break the ice in the beginning to build a good rapport.

Specialists suggest using hydrating shampoos and serums to prevent hair breakage.

Store

Storage

Where do you store fruits and vegetables?

Do you have a storage unit?

Pass

Passage

We thought we’d just say hi as we were passing by.

There is a passage to the other block on the left.

Dose

Dosage

All students were given the first dose of the vaccine.

Check the dosage before you consume it.

-ing

Sing

Singing

Can you sing me a song?

We are singing a duet.

Fly

Flying

Not all birds can fly high.

It is a wonderful sight to see a bird flying for the very first time.

Read

Reading

She reads a lot of books.

Reading is her favourite pastime.

Jump

Jumping

The little boy tried to jump onto the sofa.

My brother kept jumping up and down.

Drink

Drinking

Drink a lot of water and keep yourself hydrated.

Are you drinking enough water?

-ful

Fruit

Fruitful

Eat some fruit after dinner.

Will this lead to something fruitful?

Beauty

Beautiful

There is so much beauty around you; you must just keep your mind and eyes open to see it.

The view is absolutely beautiful; I am sure you will love it.

Resource

Resourceful

Are there any resources that I could refer to?

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was a resourceful person.

Skill

Skillful

Specify your skills clearly.

Ravi is a skillful cartoonist.

Cheer

Cheerful

All of us must aspire to spread love and cheer.

She is a very cheerful person.

-ment

Move

Movement

Try to move your hands and legs once in a while; do not stay idle.

Did you see any movement?

Excite

Excitement

A sky full of white fluffy clouds is all that is required to excite me.

I could not contain my excitement when I saw him yesterday.

Treat

Treatment

Doctors and nurses treat us patiently.

We were provided with VIP treatment when we went home.

Improve

Improvement

You have to improve your scores if you want to secure admission to foreign universities.

She has shown considerable improvement.

Acknowledge

Acknowledgement

Make sure to acknowledge all those who have helped you get here.

Everyone expects some acknowledgement at least once in a while for what they have done.

-ness

Happy

Happiness

You deserve to be happy.

Happiness is the best medicine you can treat your soul with.

Empty

Emptiness

The jar is empty.

The little girl was not able to manage the emptiness she felt from the day her friend left.

Forgive

Forgiveness

Try to forgive those who hurt you.

Seek forgiveness; it will make your heart feel light.

Ill

Illness

Are you ill?

What is your illness?

Bright

Brightness

You look bright today.

Can you reduce the brightness of the screen?

-able

Manage

Manageable

How do you manage to go to the office and do household work every day?

I think it is manageable.

Reason

Reasonable

What is the reason for your absence?

You do not sound reasonable at all.

Replace

Replaceable

It is better to replace this spot with something nice.

Not everything is replaceable; some things are forever.

Value

Valuable

You have to understand the value of the people around you.

This is a valuable piece of work.

Accept

Acceptable

Learn to accept the little things.

This kind of behaviour is not acceptable.

-ible

Sense

Sensible

Your paper does not make any sense.

My friend gave me some sensible advice.

Reverse

Reversible

Is there any way to reverse this process?

Not everything you do is reversible; think twice before you make a decision.

Access

Accessible

All of us have been given access to the online library database.

Are the services provided here accessible for all?

Digest

Digestible

Sheela was not able to digest the fact that she won the championship.

The doctor advised Glint to have food that is easily digestible.

Reduce

Reducible

The boy has been working out to reduce his weight.

This problem is not really reducible.

-sion

Convert

Conversion

How long will it take to convert this file?

It took a really long time for us to finish the conversion.

Expand

Expansion

How much more can this expand?

They are working on the expansion of this house.

Express

Expression

Feel free to express your thoughts and emotions.

Your facial expressions say a lot about what’s on your mind.

Tense

Tension

They were experiencing a tense situation.

There was too much tension in the room.

Conclude

Conclusion

How are you planning to conclude your research paper?

I have to prepare a fitting conclusion for my speech.

-tion

Exhibit

Exhibition

All the exhibits were placed in the main auditorium.

We planned to go to the exhibition along with our family on Wednesday.

Attract

Attraction

Open food containers attract ants.

The tableau was the main attraction of the day.

Correct

Correction

My parents correct me when I do something wrong.

There were some small corrections to be made.

Produce

Production

Do you know who produced this movie?

The production of silk is quite a long process.

Inspect

Inspection

The principal had come on rounds to inspect our classes.

They conducted a thorough inspection.

-ship

Friend

Friendship

Remya is my best friend.

Good friendship is an asset.

Citizen

Citizenship

All citizens are eligible to avail of these privileges.

My cousin and her family have acquired British citizenship.

Intern

Internship

Teena is an intern at The Times of India.

Suresh’s son has applied for an internship at the British Council Library.

Craftsman

Craftsmanship

Nitesh is a real craftsman.

The craftsmanship on the doors and windows is a masterpiece.

Hard

Hardship

It is a hard apple.

Life is all about how you manage the hardships that come your way.

-hood

Brother

Brotherhood

They met Jina’s mother and brother on the way to the railway station.

We practise brotherhood and fraternity.

Parent

Parenthood

Nobody knows how to be a parent; everyone grows to become one.

Parenthood is a wonderful stage in an adult’s life.

Adult

Adulthood

You have to be accompanied by an adult if you want to go on a ride.

I am just stepping into adulthood, and it seems to be good so far.

Neighbour

Neighbourhood

Our neighbour has been out of station for six months.

A lot of new apartments have come up in our neighbourhood.

Child

Childhood

You can find happiness in the littlest things if you can see the world like a child.

I miss my childhood days when spotting a firefly felt like the most significant achievement.

Frequently Asked Questions on Suffixes in English

Q1

What is a suffix?

A short word consisting of one to four letters added to the end of a root word is called a suffix.

Q2

What is the function of a suffix?

A suffix, when added to the end of a root word, changes the meaning and/or the function of the word. In other words, it can be said that the grammatical function and the meaning of the new word with a suffix are different from that of the root word.

Q3

What are the commonly-used suffixes in English?

  • -y
  • -al
  • -ty
  • -ly
  • -ry
  • -er
  • -est
  • -ity
  • -ing
  • -ness
  • -sion
  • -tion
  • -ment
  • -ship
  • -hood
Q4

List 10 words with suffixes

  • Logic – Logical
  • Wonder – Wonderful
  • Bright – Brighter
  • Fund – Funding
  • Tender – Tenderness
  • Invent – Invention
  • Persuade – Persuasion
  • Move – Movement
  • Short – Shortly
  • Craft – Crafty