Common Prefixes
Prefix [Meaning] Examples
a-, an- [without, lack of] notamoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous
ante- [before, earlier, in front of] antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior
anti- [against, opposite of] anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody
auto- [self, same] autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus
bi- [two parts, occurring twice, double] bicycle, bilingual
circum- [around, about] circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe
co- [with, together] co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author
com-, con- [together, with] companion, commingle, contact, concentrate
contra-, contro- [against, opposite] contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy
de- [down, off, away from] devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce
dis-[not, apart, away] disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect
en- [put into, cover with] enclose, entangle, enslave, encase
ex- [out of, from, former] extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president
extra- [beyond, outside, more than] extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant
hetero- [different, other] heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous
homo-, homeo- [same, alike] homonym, homophone, homeostasis
hyper- [over, more, beyond] hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical
il-, im-, in-, ir- [not, without] illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible
in-in [into] insert, inspection, infiltrate
inter- [between, among] intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate
intra-, intro- [within, inside] intravenous, intragalactic, introvert
macro- [large, prominent] macroeconomics, macrostructure, macrocosm
micro- [very small] microscope, microcosm, microbe
mono- [one, single, alone] monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony
non-not, [without] nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction
omni- [all, every] omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional
post- [after, behind] postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative
pre-, pro- [before, forward] precede, predict, project, prologue
re- [again] reelect, readmit, resubmit
sub- [under, lower] submarine, subsidiary, substandard
sym-, syn- [same time, together] symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse
tele- [from or over a distance] telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone
trans- [across, beyond, through] transmit, transaction, translation, transfer, transatlantic
tri- [three, every third] tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon
un- [not, lacking, opposite of] unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly
uni- [one, single] unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral
up- [to the top or north, higher/better] upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo
Prefix [Meaning] Examples
a-, an- [without, lack of] notamoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous
ante- [before, earlier, in front of] antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior
anti- [against, opposite of] anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody
auto- [self, same] autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus
bi- [two parts, occurring twice, double] bicycle, bilingual
circum- [around, about] circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe
co- [with, together] co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author
com-, con- [together, with] companion, commingle, contact, concentrate
contra-, contro- [against, opposite] contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy
de- [down, off, away from] devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce
dis-[not, apart, away] disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect
en- [put into, cover with] enclose, entangle, enslave, encase
ex- [out of, from, former] extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president
extra- [beyond, outside, more than] extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant
hetero- [different, other] heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous
homo-, homeo- [same, alike] homonym, homophone, homeostasis
hyper- [over, more, beyond] hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical
il-, im-, in-, ir- [not, without] illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible
in-in [into] insert, inspection, infiltrate
inter- [between, among] intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate
intra-, intro- [within, inside] intravenous, intragalactic, introvert
macro- [large, prominent] macroeconomics, macrostructure, macrocosm
micro- [very small] microscope, microcosm, microbe
mono- [one, single, alone] monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony
non-not, [without] nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction
omni- [all, every] omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional
post- [after, behind] postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative
pre-, pro- [before, forward] precede, predict, project, prologue
re- [again] reelect, readmit, resubmit
sub- [under, lower] submarine, subsidiary, substandard
sym-, syn- [same time, together] symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse
tele- [from or over a distance] telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone
trans- [across, beyond, through] transmit, transaction, translation, transfer, transatlantic
tri- [three, every third] tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon
un- [not, lacking, opposite of] unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly
uni- [one, single] unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral
up- [to the top or north, higher/better] upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo