41 Negative Affixes
1. Negative Prefixes
Words with negative prefixes are very common in English. You cannot be a good reader in English if you do not recognize and understand these prefixes and the words they help compose. You should, however, be aware of the limitations of these prefixes. You cannot simply take a word in English that you want to give a negative meaning, insert any negative prefix in front of it, and create a new word. Make sure to always check your creations in an online dictionary.
Correct Use
Understanding how negative prefixes and suffixes alter word meanings is crucial to avoiding confusion and conveying the intended message. Familiarize yourself with these criteria:
1. Correct Meaning
Negative prefixes covey different variations of negation. Therefore, it is important to understand the negation meaning they give to the original word. For example, the prefix “un-” generally means “not,” but it can also imply reversal, as in “undo” (to reverse the action of doing).
2. Correct Spelling
When adding a negative prefix or suffix to a word, it is essential to maintain correct spelling. This may involve doubling consonants, as in “unnecessary”.
3. Changes in Pronunciation
Adding a negative prefix or suffix can also change the pronunciation of a word slightly. For instance, the prefix “in-” in “incredible” is pronounced as /ɪn/, while in “input” it’s pronounced as /ɪm/.
4. Parts of Speech
Some negative prefixes are more commonly used with certain classes of words. For example:
- “un-” is commonly used with adjectives
- “dis-” with verbs
- “non-” with nouns.
5. Avoid Double Negations
Using two negatives in one sentence can unintentionally reverse the intended negation, resulting in a positive meaning.
- Incorrect: I don’t need no assistance. ❌
- Correct: I don’t need any assistance ✅ or I need no assistance ✅
6. Avoid Over-negation
Adding a negative prefix to an already negative word can result in a confusing double negation, which should be avoided.
- Confusing: The findings are not insignificant. ❓
- Clearer: The findings are significant. ✅
This is a list of common negative prefixes and examples. Notice that the negative meanings vary, so it is important to know what exactly the negative prefix means:
Negative Prefix |
Shades of Negation Meaning |
Examples |
a-/ an- |
without, lacking, absence of |
apolitical, apathetic, asexual, anelectric |
ab- |
away |
abnormal, abduct |
anti- |
against, opposite, preventing |
antiwar, antisocial anti-inflammatory |
de- |
reversal of an action |
deregulate, decontaminate |
ir- |
not |
irrelevant, irregular, irresistible |
mal- |
poorly |
malnourished, malformation |
mis- |
wrongly, incorrectly |
misbehave, misinform |
non- |
not, without |
nonalcoholic, noncommittal, nonaligned |
un- |
not or reverse |
unwritten, unrealistic, undo |
Special Cases
-
The Negative Prefix “DIS” has two meanings.
dis- |
not |
disobey, disapprove |
dis- |
apart or distant from |
disorder, disadvantage, discomfort |
2. The Negative Prefix “IN’ changes its spelling.
Due to a process called assimilation, in- will change to:
- il- before l. Example: illogical, illegal.
- im- before m, b, or p. Examples: immodest, impossible.
- ir- before an r . Examples: irregular, irrelevant, irresistible.
2. Negative Suffixes
-less is the most common negative suffix in English. It indicates “the absence of something”, and it is added to nouns only.
Examples:
- Hopeless (without hope)
- Homeless (without a home)
- Careless (without care or attention)
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