Prefixes: A Huge List of Prefix with Meaning and Examples - English Study Online (2025)

Welcome to our article on prefixes! If you’re learning English grammar, you’ve probably come across these little word bits before. But what exactly are prefixes, and how do they work? In this article, we’ll explore the basics of prefixes and give you some examples to help you understand how they can change the meaning of words.

What is A Prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters that we add to the beginning of a word to create a new word with a different meaning. Prefixes can change the meaning of a word, make it negative, or indicate relations of time, place, or manner.

For example, the prefix “un-” means “not.” When you add “un-” to the word “happy,” you get “unhappy,” which means “not happy.” Similarly, the prefix “pre-” means “before.” When you add “pre-” to the word “view,” you get “preview,” which means “a view before the main event.”

Prefixes can be one to three letters long. Some common prefixes include “anti-,” “dis-,” “in-,” “im-,” “re-,” and “un-.” Each of these prefixes has a different meaning and can change the meaning of a word in a specific way.

Types of Prefixes

In English grammar, prefixes are added to the beginning of a base word to modify its meaning. There are several types of prefixes, including negative, time and number, size and degree, and distance and direction prefixes.

Negative Prefixes

Negative prefixes are used to negate the meaning of a word. Some common negative prefixes include “un-” (e.g. unhappy), “dis-” (e.g. disagree), and “non-” (e.g. nonstop). These prefixes are often used to create antonyms, or words with opposite meanings.

Time and Number Prefixes

Time and number prefixes are used to indicate time or quantity. For example, the prefix “bi-” means “two” (e.g. bicycle), while the prefix “tri-” means “three” (e.g. tricycle). Other common time and number prefixes include “milli-” (e.g. millisecond), “centi-” (e.g. centimeter), and “mega-” (e.g. megabyte).

Size and Degree Prefixes

Size and degree prefixes are used to indicate size or degree. For example, the prefix “micro-” means “small” (e.g. microscope), while the prefix “macro-” means “large” (e.g. macroeconomics). Other common size and degree prefixes include “mini-” (e.g. miniskirt), “maxi-” (e.g. maxi dress), and “ultra-” (e.g. ultraviolet).

Distance and Direction Prefixes

Distance and direction prefixes are used to indicate distance or direction. For example, the prefix “tele-” means “far” (e.g. television), while the prefix “trans-” means “across” (e.g. transport). Other common distance and direction prefixes include “inter-” (e.g. international), “intra-” (e.g. intranet), and “sub-” (e.g. submarine).

List of Common Prefixes in English

a-, an-

• Meaning: without, lack of, not
• Example: amoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous

ante-

• Meaning: before, earlier, in front of
• Example: antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior

anti-

• Meaning: against, opposite of
• Example: anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody

auto-

• Meaning: self, same
• Example: autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus

circum-

• Meaning: around, about
• Example: circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe

co-

• Meaning: with, together
• Example: co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author

com-, con-

• Meaning: together, with
• Example: companion, commingle, contact, concentrate

contra-, contro-

• Meaning: against, opposite
• Example: contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy

de-

• Meaning: down, off, away from
• Example: devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce

dis-

• Meaning: not, apart, away
• Example: disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect

em-, en-

• Meaning: put into, cover with
• Example: embrace, embed, enclose, entangle, enslave, encase

ex-

• Meaning: out of, from, former
• Example: extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president

extra-

• Meaning: beyond, outside, more than
• Example: extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant

hetero-

• Meaning: different, other
• Example: heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous

homo-, homeo-

• Meaning: same, alike
• Example: homonym, homophone, homeostasis, homosexual

hyper-

• Meaning: over, more, beyond
• Example: hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical

il-, im-, in-, ir-

• Meaning: not, without
• Example: illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible

inter-

• Meaning: between, among
• Example: intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate

intra-, intro-

• Meaning: within, inside
• Example: intravenous, intragalactic, introvert

macro-

• Meaning: large, prominent
• Example: macroeconomics, macrostructure,macrocosm

micro-

• Meaning: very small
• Example: microscope, microcosm, microbe

mono-

• Meaning: one, single, alone
• Example: monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony

non-

• Meaning: not, without
• Example: nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction

omni-

• Meaning: all, every
• Example: omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional

post-

• Meaning: after, behind
• Example: postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative

pre-, pro-

• Meaning: before, forward
• Example: precede, predict, project, prologue

sub-

• Meaning: under, lower
• Example: submarine, subsidiary, substandard

sym-, syn-

• Meaning: same time, together
• Example: symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse

tele-

• Meaning: from or over a distance
• Example: telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone

trans-

• Meaning: across, beyond, through
• Example: transmit, transaction, translation, transfer

tri-

• Meaning: three, every third
• Example: tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon

un-

• Meaning: not, lacking, opposite of
• Example: unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly

uni-

• Meaning: one, single
• Example: unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral

up-

• Meaning: to the top or north, higher/better
• Example: upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo

Common Prefixes | Infographic

Related:

• Suffixes