Prefix and Suffix Meanings in English Vocabulary: A Study Guide

a-, an-

not; without | atypical = not typical, anonymous = without a name

anti-

against; opposed to | antisocial

bene-

good; well | beneficial

mal-

bad; poorly | malfunction

pre-

before | precede, prehistoric

post-

after | postwar

pro-

for; forward | promote

re-

again; back | revise, return

sub-

under; below | subordinate, submarine

super-

above; beyond | superior

trans-

across; through | transport, transform

inter-

between; among | interact, international

intra-

within | intramural

con-, com-

together; with | combine, connect

dis-

apart; away; not | disconnect, disagree

ex-

out; former | exclude, ex-president

circum-

around | circumvent

contra-

against; opposite | contradict

cred

believe; trust | credible, incredulous

dict

say; speak | dictate, contradict

duc-, duct-

lead | conduct, introduce

fac-, fact-, fic-

make; do | manufacture, artificial

graph

write; record | biography, graphic

ject

throw | reject, project

log-, logy-

word; study | logic, biology

mit-, miss-

send | transmit, dismiss

mort

death | mortal, immortal

ped

foot | pedestrian

phon

sound | telephone, phonetic

scrib-, script-

write | describe, manuscript

spec-, spect-

look; see | inspect, spectator

struct

build | construct, structure

tract

pull; draw | attract, distract

ven-, vent-

come | intervene, convention

vid-, vis-

see | visible, video

voc-, vok-

call; voice | vocal, advocate

chron

time | chronological

bio

life | biology

geo

earth | geography

therm

heat | thermal

phil

love | philosophy, philanthropy

path

feeling; suffering; disease | sympathy, pathology

polis-, polit-

city; government | politics, metropolis

-able, -ible

capable of; able to be | reversible, readable

-ous

full of; having the quality of | cautious, dangerous

-ive

having the nature or quality of | persuasive, active

-al

relating to | cultural, natural

-ic

relating to | historic, scientific

-ity

state; condition; quality | scarcity, equality

-tion, -sion

act; process; state; having | expansion, creation

-ment

result; condition; process; doing | development

-ist

person who practices or believes | scientist, theorist

-ism

belief; system; practice | realism

-ize

to make; become; doing | modernize

-ify

to make; doing | simplify, clarify

-less

without | meaningless

-ful

full of | useful, careful

-ward

in a direction | backward, forward