Negative prefixes are added to the beginning of words to create a word with a negative or opposite meaning. Learning these prefixes can help you expand your English vocabulary and understand unfamiliar words.
1. The Prefix un-
Un- is commonly used with adjectives and means “not.”
- happy → unhappy
- fair → unfair
- kind → unkind
- certain → uncertain
- comfortable → uncomfortable
Example:
She felt unhappy about the decision.
2. The Prefixes in-, im-, il-, ir-
These prefixes generally mean “not.” The form changes depending on the first letter of the base word.
- in-: inaccurate, inactive, inexpensive
- im-: impossible, impatient, impolite
- il-: illegal, illogical, illegible
- ir-: irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible
Example:
It is impossible to finish the project in five minutes.
3. The Prefix dis-
Dis- can mean “not,” “opposite of,” or “lack of.”
- agree → disagree
- honest → dishonest
- appear → disappear
- connect → disconnect
- approve → disapprove
Example:
I disagree with his opinion.
4. The Prefix non-
Non- means “not” or indicates the absence of something.
- fiction → nonfiction
- verbal → nonverbal
- smoking → nonsmoking
- stop → nonstop
Example:
She prefers reading nonfiction books.
5. The Prefix mis-
Mis- usually means wrongly or incorrectly.
- understand → misunderstand
- pronounce → mispronounce
- lead → mislead
- inform → misinform
- behave → misbehave
Example:
I misunderstood the instructions.
Quick Review
Remember:
- un- → not: unhappy
- in-/im-/il-/ir- → not: incorrect, impossible, illegal, irregular
- dis- → opposite/not: disagree
- non- → not/absence: nonfiction
- mis- → wrongly: misunderstand
Practice
Choose the correct negative prefix to complete each word.
- ___happy
- ___possible
- ___legal
- ___regular
- ___honest
- ___fiction
- ___understand
- ___patient
- ___agree
- ___comfortable
Answers:
- unhappy
- impossible
- illegal
- irregular
- dishonest
- nonfiction
- misunderstand
- impatient
- disagree
- uncomfortable