Meaning & use
prefixes
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“prefixes” is a form of “prefix”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnical
Word parts added to the front of a word that change its meaning, such as un- in unhappy or re- in rebuild.
Grammar: Plural of prefix; usually discussed in a list: common prefixes.
Patterns
- prefixes such as un- and re-
- add prefixes to words
Students learn that prefixes like un- and dis- often give a word the opposite meaning.
The teacher listed prefixes on the board, including pre-, post- and anti-.
Knowing common prefixes can help you guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.
nounplural
Titles or codes placed before a name or number, such as Dr., Mr., or an area code at the start of a phone number.
Grammar: Plural; used for titles or dialing codes placed before something else.
Patterns
- prefixes before something
Prefixes such as Mr. and Dr. appear before names in formal letters.
The phone company assigned new prefixes to the region.
Some countries use different prefixes for mobile and landline numbers.
Common combinations
- Latin prefixes
- Many English words begin with Latin prefixes such as sub- or inter-.
- negative prefixes
- Negative prefixes like un- and non- reverse the meaning.
- learn prefixes
- Children learn prefixes in primary school.
- add prefixes
- You can add prefixes to many verbs to make new ones.
- prefixes and suffixes
- The lesson covered prefixes and suffixes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- affixes
- It is the broader term, since affixes include both prefixes and suffixes.
- beginnings
- It is an everyday word for the starts of words and lacks the exact grammatical meaning.
- titles
- It matches only the second sense, since titles are name-forms like Dr., not meaning parts of words.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: prefixes or suffixes?
prefixes vs suffixes
Suffixes go at the end of a word, as -ness or -ful, while prefixes go at the beginning.
Practice
Which list contains only prefixes?
Choose one answer.
Un-, re- and dis- all attach to the front of a word. The other lists contain suffixes, which attach to the end.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prefixes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.