Dictionary of Prefixes and Suffixes: Useful English Affixes

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Word Power Book 5 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

AFFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning or end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

im- in impossible; ntier- in international

-able in agreeable; -er in learner

 

English Affixes could be divided into two groups:

Prefixes and Suffixes

 

PREFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

im- in impossible; inter- in international; un- in unaffected

 

SUFFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

-able in agreeable; -er in learner; -ness in quickness

 

Sample This:

 

ENGLISH PREFIXES – A

 

a-

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: not, without

Examples:

acellular / amoral / apolitical / atheism / atheist / atypical

 

******

 

ad-

Used to form: nouns and verbs

General meaning: addition, tendency

Examples:

adjoin / adjudge / admixture

 

******

 

ambi-

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: both of two

Examples:

ambidexterity / ambidextrous / ambivalence / ambivalent

 

******

 

ante-

Used to form: adjectives, nouns and verbs

General meaning: prior to; in front of

Examples:

antedate / antenatal / anterior / ante-room

 

******

 

anti-

Used to form: adjectives and nouns

General meaning: against; the opposite of; preventing

Examples:

anti-aircraft / anti-bacterial / antibiotic / antibody / anti-choice / anticlerical / anticlimax / anticlockwise / anticoagulant / anti-competitive / anti-copying / anti-corruption / anticyclone / antidepressant / anti-drug / anti-encroachment / anti-extremism / antifreeze / anti-globalization / anti-graft / antigravity / anti-hate / anti-hero / anti-inflammatory / anti-liquor / anti-lock / anti-malarial / anti-national / antioxidant / antiparticle / anti-people / anti-personnel / antiperspirant / anti-poaching / antipyretic / antiretroviral / anti-rowdy / anti-sabotage / antiseptic / antisocial / anti-stalking / antitank / anti-terror / anti-terrorism / anti-theft / antitrust / antiviral / antivirus

 

******

 

ENGLISH SUFFIXES – A

 

-able

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: that can, should or must be done; having the characteristic of

Examples:

adaptable / agreeable / amenable / amicable / appreciable / approachable / assessable / avertable / avoidable / believable / breakable / calculable / changeable / chargeable / comfortable / companionable / computable / conceivable / controllable / curable / decipherable / declarable / desirable / detectable / detestable / doable / enjoyable / escapable / excitable / explainable / explicable / exploitable / fashionable / foreseeable / graspable / honorable / imaginable / imperturbable / indubitable / inevitable / justifiable / manageable / moveable / noticeable / observable / payable / pleasurable / portable / preventable / punishable / quantifiable / questionable / ratable / reachable / readable / reasonable / reckonable / recognizable / reliable / reputable / respectable / serviceable / sociable / stoppable / taxable / traceable / transferable / translatable / transportable / understandable / usable / utilizable / variable / washable / wearable / workable

 

******

 

-ability

Used to form: nouns

General meaning: a level of skill, intelligence, etc.

Example:

capability / curability / excitability / inescapability / inevitability / playability / preventability / serviceability / unavoidability / usability / workability

 

******

 

-ably

Used to form: adverbs

General meaning: skillful and well; in a particular manner

Examples:

affably / capably / charitably / comfortably / demonstrably / indisputably / inevitably / irritably / notably / noticeably / presumably / probably / reasonably / remarkably

 

******

 

-acy

Used to form: nouns

General meaning: the position, quality, state or status of

Examples:

accuracy / adequacy / delicacy / democracy / intimacy / primacy / privacy / supremacy

 ******

Ratings and reviews

AAA

Dictionary uses

About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamed of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.