Prefix Words-Vocabulary List #3
Shakespeare Unit
anti—against or the opposite (anti-aircraft, antibiotic, anticlimax)
antipathy (an-TIP-uh-thee ) n. a strong feeling of dislike
Marsha’s antipathy toward Abercrombie & Fitch was quite
conspicuous; she made a hobby of standing outside the store
with signs meant to discourage people from shopping there.
pro – in support or in favor of something (pro-government, proclaim)
proponent (pro PO nent) n. a person who argues in favor of something
(an advocate)
Many students are proponents of starting school later in the
morning so that they can get more sleep.
pre—before (precede, prelude, precondition)
preconception (pree-kuhn-SEP-shun ) n. an idea or opinion formed
beforehand (isn’t based on information /experience but reflects
personal prejudices)
Danny believed that Orlando, the new kid on his basketball
team, was a complete jerk; however, he hadn’t actually met him
yet, so his preconception was totally inaccurate.
post – after (postdated, postpone, postadolescence)
posterity (pah STAIR i tee) n. all the descendants of a person (future
generations)
Fiona was saving the photo album for her posterity to see
pictures of their
ancestors.
de—down or away (decrease, descend, deduce)
dejected (dih-JEK-tid) adj. unhappy or disheartened
As soon as Monica walked through the door, the dejected look
on her face told me she had lost her last tennis match of the
season.
in—not (indecisive, inarticulate, intangible)
incontrovertible (in con tro VUR tih bul) adj. impossible to dispute
or argue
Since there was incontrovertible evidence that Bobby was the
one who threw the spitball, he was sent to the office.
over—above or excessively (overachiever, overanalyze, overexaggeration)
overzealous (OH ver ZEL uhs) adj. excessively enthusiastic
In her attempt to impress her new coworkers, Marla let out an
overzealous “Let’s go team!” after the first staff meeting and
was answered by an uncomfortable silence in the room.
sub - under (submarine, subway, submerge)
substantiate (sub STAN she ate) v. to confirm by providing proof (to
corroborate)
Many claims about Shakespeare’s life are difficult to
substantiate because of a lack of tangible evidence about his
travels and friendships.
trans—across (transcontinental, transaction)
transgress (tranz GRESS) v. to break a law or rule; to cross the
boundaries of what’s considered proper
Mitchell was sent to the principal’s office for transgressing the
school’s anti-graffiti rule and tagging on the bathroom walls.
Molly’s grandparents stared at her in shock, most likely because
they felt her baggy pants and short hair transgressed their oldfashioned ideas of appropriate feminine attire.
re—again (repeat, revise, retrace)
resonate (REZ-uh-neyt ) v. to resound or echo; to have an effect or
impact on
Throughout the vast canyon, the lost hiker’s cries for help
resonated, but, sadly, only the vultures could hear him.
The candidate’s message on creating jobs is likely to resonate
with voters who have been unemployed for some time now.