MORRIS COLLEGE COMMON PREFIX LIST
Common Prefixes in English
A prefix is a letter or a group letters attached to the beginning of a word that partly
indicated its meaning. For example, the word prefix itself begins with a prefix—pre,
which generally means “before.”
Understanding the meanings of common prefixes can help us deduce the meanings of
new words that we encounter. But be careful: some prefixes (such as in-) have more
than one meaning (in this example, “not” and “into”).
The table below defines and illustrates 33 common prefixes.
Common Prefixes
Prefix
Meaning
Example
a-,ananteantiautocircumcocom-concontra
dedisenexextrahetero
homohyperil-,im-,in-,irininterintramacromicromonononomnipostpre- prosubsyntranstriununi-
without
before
against
self
around
with
with
against
off, away from
not
put into
out of, former
beyond, more than
different
same
over, more
not, without
into
between
between
large
small
one
not, without
all, every
after
before, forward
under
same time
across
three
not
one
amoral
antecedent
anticlimax
autopilot
circumvent
copilot
companion, contract
contradict
devalue
disappear
enclose
extract, ex-president
extracurricular
heterosexual
homonym
hyperactive
illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible
insert
intersect
intravenous
macroeconomics
microscope
monocle
nonentity
omniscient
postmortem
precede, project
submarine
synchronize
transmit
tricycle
unfinished
unicorn