NEGATIVE PREFIXES

Negative Prefix List: the Top 6

What's the difference between dis- and mis- or between un- and non-? This negative
prefix list can help you understand these prefixes that can change a word's meaning into
its opposite.

19Guardar

Note: I have added the parts of speech (verb, adjective, noun) to the prefix list
examples. That's because some people are looking for negative adjectives or negative
verbs.

Go straight to the examples:

 de-

 dis-

 in- (or il-, im-, or ir-)

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  mis-

 non-

 un-

Negative Prefix List: Uses

 De- is almost always used before a verb, or a word formed from that verb. It means to
reverse the verb’s action, as in dehydrate, deregulate, or detoxify. (It can have other
meanings besides making a verb negative. For example, it means 'down' in decline,
decrease, and depression.)

 Dis- can be used with verbs, nouns, adjectives or adverbs. It also has other meanings
besides making words negative.

 In-, non-, and un- are usually used for nouns, adjectives, or the adverbs formed from
them (though un- is also used for verbs.) They all mean not _____. (In- is the negative
prefix in Latin. non- means 'not' in Latin, and many words using it as a prefix came into
English via French.  Un- comes from Old English.)

 Mis- is from Old English, or in some words from French. It's used with verbs (and
adjectives and adverbs made from them), as well as nouns. It means bad, wrong, or
wrongly.

 Non-  usually means not, but also may mean lack of something. 

 Un- is the most common negative prefix in English. If in doubt, it's the best one to
try. Un- is the negative prefix even for many words from Latin roots. 

Important: sometimes an adjective uses one prefix and related nouns or verbs use
different ones.

For example:

 unable, inability, (to) disable;

 unbalanced, imbalance, (to) unbalance;
 unstable, instability, (to) destabilize.
 To deactivate is to make something inactive.

Usually, however, the same prefix serves both adjective and noun. Examples:
uncertain, uncertainty; unwilling, unwillingness; unfriendly, unfriendliness,
inadequate, inadequacy, disloyal, disloyalty, etc.

Negative Prefix Examples: 

 1. De-

Examples: deactivate, decode, decommission, decompose, deconstruct, decontaminate,

deflate, deflect, deform, demythologize, derail, detract.

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The list above is all verbs. We can make any of them into adjectives by adding -ed (or
-d if the verb ends in 'e' already: decoded, deflated, etc.) Several can also become nouns:
deactivation, decomposition, decontamination, deflation, etc. Decrease is already a noun
(or a verb.)

Note that the prefix de- in Latin (and in words that originate in Latin) has other,
contrary meanings as well as sometimes making words negative. (See List of Prefixes.)

It is often used as an intensifier, meaning completely (as in demand), as well as meaning

from, down, or away. When used with an English verb to make a new word, it works as
a negative. (Debug, defrost, devalue.)

2. Dis-

Examples (verb/ adjective/ noun or vb/ adj when all are common): 

disaffected (adj.), disagree/ disagreeable/ disagreement, disbelief (noun), dishonor (vb.

or noun)/ dishonored or dishonorable, disinfect/ disinfected/ disinfection, disinherit/
disinherited, disloyal (adj.) & disloyalty (noun), displease/ displeased or displeasing/
displeasure, disproportionate (adj.), distasteful (adj.) and distaste (noun), distrust (vb. or
noun)/ distrustful (adj.).

(Tasteful refers to something that shows good taste or judgment. Things which are
pleasant to the taste buds are ‘tasty.’ Distasteful refers to tasks that are unpleasant.
Foods that lack flavor are tasteless. A lack of good taste in aesthetics can also be called
tasteless.)

3. In- (or il-, im-, or ir-)

In- often changes to  'il-' before l; 'im-' before b, m, or p; and 'ir-' before r. These
changes make it easier to pronounce.

Adjective examples: 

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illegal, illegible, illiterate, illogical, immature, impatient, imperfect, impossible,
imprecise, inaccessible, inaccurate, inadequate, inappropriate, incapable, incoherent,
incompatible, incomplete, inconceivable, inconsistent, incredible, indefinite, indiscreet,
inevitable, infinite, inflexible, insecure, insignificant, insubordinate, insufficient,
invalid, invariable, invisible, involuntary, irrational, irregular, irrelevant, irreparable,
irresistible, irresponsible, irreversible, etc.

A few noun examples using the same roots:

illegibility, illiteracy, immaturity, impatience, imperfection, impossibility, imprecision,

inaccessibility, inaccuracy, inadequacy, inappropriateness, incapability, incoherence,
incompatibility, incompleteness, inconsistency, indiscretion, inevitability, infinity,
inflexibility, insecurity, insignificance, insubordination, insufficiency, invalidity,
invariability, invisibility, irrationality, irregularity, irrelevance, irresponsibility.  

Most of these do not have verb forms.    

Notice these exceptions in which ‘in-‘ does not negate, but intensifies:

Inflammable has the same meaning as flammable-- something that burns easily. Their
opposite is nonflammable. The same is true for habitable and inhabitable. (The negative
is uninhabitable).

Valuable and invaluable also are synonyms— except that invaluable is even stronger. It
means something is priceless: so valuable that a person would not want to give it up for
any amount of money.

4. Mis-

Examples: misconduct (noun), misdemeanor(noun), misdiagnose (to diagnose wrongly-

vb.)/ misdiagnosed/ misdiagnosis, misinform/ misinformed/ misinformation,
misinterpret/ misinterpreted/ misinterpretation, mislead/ misled or misleading, misplace/
misplaced, misspell/ misspelled/ misspelling, mistake/ mistaken/ mistake, mistrust (both
a noun and a verb, but weaker than distrust), misunderstand/ misunderstood/
misunderstanding.

A misdiagnosed disease has been diagnosed incorrectly. Compare that to an

undiagnosed disease, which has not been diagnosed at all.

In the same way, a misinformed person has received wrong information. An uninformed
person simply does not know much about a subject.

See Voice of America's Learning English for the difference between 'misinformation'

and 'disinformation.'

(They both refer to information that is not true. They differ because the purpose of
disinformation is to deceive. People who share misinformation may not realize it's
false.) 

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You can also listen to an audio version of the article and find definitions of all its key
words. 

5. Non-

Examples-- nouns: nonconformist or nonconformity, nonentity, nonexistence,

nonintervention, nonsense, etc.

Adjectives: nonconforming, nonexistent, nonmetallic, nonpartisan, nonresident,

nonrestrictive (but unrestricted), nonsensical, nonstop.

I can't think of any verbs that begin with non-.

Some words can be negated either with non- or with another negative. In those
cases non- has a more neutral connotation. For example, nonstandard means not
according to the usual standard. In contrast, substandard means below the
standard: not good. Nonreligious means not religious, but irreligious means more
actively opposed to religion.

6. Un-

(Adjective) Examples: unable, unacknowledged, unaffected (not affected at all;

disaffected means affected badly), unafraid, unaided, unaltered, unambiguous,
unanticipated, unapproachable, unassigned, unattainable, unavailable, unaware,
unceasing, uncertain, unclear, unconventional, uncooperative, uncoordinated,
unenforced, unexposed, unfocused, unfriendly*, unhelpful, uninformed, unknown,
unmodified, unnatural, unpleasant, unpredictable, unprofessional, unrealistic, unrefined,
unresolved, unscheduled,  unstable, untouched, unwilling, etc.

*(in this case -ly isn’t for an adverb. Both friendly & unfriendly are adjectives.)

A few of these have related nouns including unavailability, uncertainty,

unenforceability, unpleasantness, unpredictability, unreality, and untouchability, as well
as inability, instability, and irresolution. 

Some also have related adverbs: unambiguously, unceasingly, uncertainly,

unconventionally, unnaturally, unpleasantly, unpredictably, unprofessionally,
unrealistically, unwillingly, and possibly others.

Very few are verbs: undo and (only informally, on Facebook) unfriend.

There are many more examples of negative prefixes on 50 Word Roots. (You can
make almost any adjective negative with ‘un-’ except the negatives that we carried over
from Latin with ‘in-‘ (or ‘il-‘, ‘im-‘ or ’ir-‘. Remember that these 'in-' prefixes can also
mean ‘in’ or ‘into.’) 

I counted the different negative prefix uses there—all useful words that I have read and
might use. None of these Latin roots took the prefix ‘mis-.‘ Four (nouns and adjectives)
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took ‘non-,‘ 13 took ‘de-‘; 9 ‘dis-‘ 22 ‘in-‘’im-‘, etc. Well over 30 (not all written
down) took ‘un-.’

Other prefixes, besides the 6 on this negative prefix list, can also give a negative
connotation to words. (Note 'sub-' above.) A- an-, anti-, contra- counter-, and ob- also
often negate the meaning of a root.

See List of Prefixes for each of these. See also the Facebook Comments below for a-:
amoral-- not moral, etc.

The six prefixes at the top of this page are the most common in English, though. They
are worth knowing!

The best way to learn the different negative prefixes is to work (or play) with them. You
can do both on Practice Negative Prefixes. It emphasizes academic vocabulary, so you
can review about 60 common words from the Academic Word List there.

You can also see how some of these negative prefixes (de-, in-, and un- ) are used in
Word Families, Word Family Practice, and Word Formation Examples & Exercises.

More Related Pages: 

Negative prefixes
Negative statements are the opposite of affirmative statements. In English, one way to
make negative statements is by adding negative prefixes to nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
Here are some English negative prefixes: a–, dis–, il–, im–, in-, ir–,
non–, un–.
Read lesson
 * en español
For example, the prefix un- can be attached to the adjective happy
 * en
to create the negative adjective unhappy. Or you can use the
français
negative adverb not. Note that there is no difference in meaning
between these two forms.

affirmative negative
  negative prefix not
 
Tom is happy. Tom is unhappy. Tom is not happy.

Words that take a– as a negative prefix always begin with a consonant.

affirmativ   negative
e

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political apolitical
sexual asexual
theist atheist

Words that take dis– as a negative prefix may begin with a vowel or a consonant.

affirmativ
negative
e
agree disagree
 
comfort discomfort
mount dismount
orient disorient

Words that take il– as a negative prefix always begin with the letter l.

affirmativ
negative
e
legal illegal
 
legible illegible
literate illiterate
logical illogical

Words that take im– as a negative prefix always begin with the letter m or p.

affirmativ
negative
e
mobile immobile
 
moral immoral
perfect imperfect
possible impossible

Words that take in– as a negative prefix can begin with a vowel (except i or u) or a
consonant.

affirmativ  
negative
e
accurate inaccurate
eligible ineligible

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organic inorganic
decent indecent
sane insane

Note: There are many words that begin with in– that are not words with a negative
prefix. For example:

word does not mean

incline not cline
indulge   not dulge
insist not sist
invoke not voke

Words that take ir– as a negative prefix always begin with the letter r.

affirmative negative
rational irrational
reconcilable   irreconcilable
regular irregular
resistible irresistible

Words that take non– as a negative prefix may begin with a vowel or a consonant.

affirmative negative
conformist nonconformist
essential   nonessential
fiction nonfiction
sense nonsense

Words that take un– as a negative prefix may begin with a vowel or consonant.

affirmative   negative
able unable
interesting uninteresting
usual unusual
comfortabl uncomfortable
e

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helpful unhelpful
prepared unprepared

Remember, not all words that appear to have a negative prefix are negative.

word does not mean

alike not like
discuss not cuss
universe not iverse
 
illuminate not luminate
important not portant
involve not volve
irrigate not rigate

Related Lessons:
Read lesson
 * en español
 Negation
 * en
 Negative adverbs français
 Negation with verb DO
 Negation with verb BE

We add a prefix such as in- or un- or dis-, im-, il-, non, ir- etc. to the beginning of
adjectives, adverbs and verbs to give them the opposite meaning.
➢ Before "r" one has to use "ir": reparable  irreparable;
➢ Before "l", use "il": logical  illogical;

➢ Before "t", use "dis": trust  distrust; tasteful  distasteful;

➢ Before "c”, “b” or “s” use “un” or “in”: comfortable  uncomfortable, believable 
unbelievable, complete  incomplete, credible  incredible, sanity  insanity;
➢ Before "p", use "im": possible  impossible;

➢ Before "m", use "im": mature  immature, mortal  immortal;

➢ Before “h” or “f”, use “un”: happy  unhappy, filtered  unfiltered;

➢ Before a noun, use "non": smoker  non-smoker, fiction  non-fiction

ACTIVITIES

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Pick the odd one out taking into account which of these words is incorrect.

Exercise 1 : Write the negative form of these words by adding a negative prefix: "un-",
"dis-", "ir-", "il-", "in-", or "im-".

____patient ____honest ____formal ____possible

____popular ____lock ____appear ____agree
____logical ____convenient ____frequent ____relevant
____approve ____dependent ____curable ____legible
____responsible ____familiar ____accurate ____regular

Exercise 2: Fill in negative prefixes to form the OPPOSITE of each of the adjectives
below. In some cases, more than one pre-fix is possible.

___acceptable ___adequate ___agreeable ___appropriate

___bearable ___compatible ___complete ___conscious
___convenient ___credible ___decisive ___desirable
___experienced ___flexible ___healthy ___helpful
___organised ___patient ___personal ___sufficient
___hospitable ___perfect ___probable ___satisfactory
Exercise 3: Complete the sentences by adding the correct pre-fix for each word.

1. If the traffic is bad, it'll be ___possible to get to the match on time.

2. I never know when to expect the post. It's so ___regular.
3. Taking a large suitcase on a short holiday is a bit ___practical.
4. She was ___able to take the test because she was really sick.
5. I can't go out today. I just got back from vacation and I really need to ___pack.
6. Oh, my goodness! This horrible heat is going to ___hydrate the poor players.
7. I find it highly ___probable that he will come to your party. He doesn't like crowds.
8. The accident caused ___reparable damage to his car.
9. I'm absolutely sure it wasn't Kate. She's ___capable of something like that.
10. I believe this information is ___accurate. This cannot be true.
11. This table is ___steady. I believe one of the legs is crooked.
12. When you're done using the computer make sure to ___connect it.
13. The tickets are ___valid. You haven’t stamped them.
14. We saw an ___usual animal during our trip.
15. It was such a ___couraging experience.
16. An ___known visitor has left a package in the room.

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 1) They say he has a ___ face.

ilhonest

dishonest

inhonest

 2) I have an ___ fear of mice.

disrational

irrational

inrational

 3) The Joker character in Batman is ___.

insane

irsane

ilsane

 4) In the UK it's ___ to smoke in bars and restaurants.

imlegal

inlegal

illegal

 5) It's ___ that we have to work while they are on holiday.

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 unfair

disfair

infair

 6) I am too ___ to go fishing.

inpatient

impatient

unpatient

 7) He's so ___ even after all the help we gave him.

ingrateful

imgrateful

ungrateful

 8) He still acts like a child, he's so ___.

inmature

immature

irmature

 9) I think the information in this report is ___. It doesn't look right.

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 iraccurate

inaccurate

unaccurate

 10) His attempt to break the world record was ___.

dissuccessful

unsuccessful

insuccessful

Pin

Negative Prefixes: DIS, IM, IN, IR, IL,

NON, UN.
by Sophia

Learn English Vocabulary with Negative Prefixes with DIS, IM, IN, IR, IL, NON, UN.

Contents

13
Common Prefixes in English

English Vocabulary: frequently used prefixes in English.

English Vocabulary with Negative Prefixes

DIS

 Disappointment

E.g.  He found it difficult to hide his disappointment when she didn’t arrive.

 Disapproval

E.g. He shook his head in disapproval.

 Disgust

E.g. She expressed her disgust at the programme by writing a letter of complaint.

 Disrespect

E.g. No disrespect intended, sir. It was just a joke.

 Disbelief

E.g. He stared at me in disbelief.

 Disgrace

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E.g. Her behaviour has brought disgrace on her family.

 Dishonour

E.g. There is no dishonour in such a defeat.

 Disillusionment

E.g. There is widespread disillusionment with the present government.

 Disinterest

E.g. His total disinterest in money puzzled his family.

 Dismay

E.g. He looked at her in dismay.

 Displeasure

E.g. She made no attempt to hide her displeasure at the prospect.

 Disregard

E.g. The board completely disregarded my recommendations.

 Dissatisfaction

E.g. Many people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the arrangement.

 Distaste

E.g. He looked around the filthy room in distaste.

 Distrust

E.g. He has a deep distrust of all modern technology.

 Discomfort

E.g. You will experience some minor discomfort during the treatment.

 Discontent

E.g. There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and
conditions.

 Discouragement

E.g. Despite all these discouragements, she refused to give up.

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  Disdain

E.g. He turned his head away in disdain

Pin

UN

 Unreal

E.g. The party began to take on an unreal, almost nightmarish quality.

 Unable

E.g. I tried to contact him but was unable to.

 Unusual

E.g. It’s unusual for the trees to flower so early.

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  Unhappy

E.g. I didn’t realize but he was deeply unhappy at that time.

 Unfaithful

E.g. She remained loyal to her unfaithful husband.

 Unfair

E.g. It would be unfair not to let you have a choice.

 Unprepared

E.g. She was totally unprepared for his response.

 Unhelpful

E.g. The taxi driver was being very unhelpful.

 Unlikely

E.g. The project seemed unlikely to succeed.

 Unshaven

E.g. He looked pale and unshaven.

IN

 Incorrect

E.g. The time on my clock is incorrect.

 Incredible

E.g. It seemed incredible that she had been there a week already.

 Invalid

E.g. People with invalid papers are deported to another country.

 Insane

E.g. The prisoners were slowly going insane.

 Infrequent

E.g. Muggings are relatively infrequent in this area.

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  Incapable

E.g.  The children seem to be totally incapable of working by themselves.

 Inexpensive

E.g. Inexpensive socks fade faster than pricey ones.

 Ineligible

E.g. The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.

 Inorganic

E.g. Rocks and minerals are inorganic.

 Indecent

E.g. He made an indecent suggestion to my wife

 Invisible

E.g. The gas in a balloon is invisible

 Informal

E.g. We can wear jeans to an informal party

 Independent

E.g. She is proud to be independent in her job.

 Inactive

E.g. It’s hard to exercise after being inactive for a week.

 Inappropriate

E.g. Casual clothes are inappropriate at a wedding.

 Indefinite

E.g. Rain delayed the game for an indefinite period.

 Indisputable

E.g. It is indisputable that Austin is the capital of Texas.

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Pin

IL

 Illegal

E.g. It’s illegal to drive through a red light.

 Illegible

E.g. His signature is totally illegible.

 Illogical

E.g. His answer is illogical; it makes no sense.

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IM

Impolite

E.g. It’s impolite to interrupt a person who is speaking.

 Imperfect

E.g. All our sale items are slightly imperfect.

 Immoral

E.g. It’s immoral to steal.

 Impure

E.g. Some of these drugs are highly impure.

 Impossible

E.g. It’s impossible to prove.

 Impatient

E.g. He was too impatient to wait in line for the bus

 Immobile

E.g. The ship was immobile after grounding on a reef.

 Imbalance

E.g. Postnatal depression is usually due to hormonal imbalance.

 Impeccable

E.g. He was dressed in a suit and an impeccable white shirt.

 Immature

E.g. She is too immature to take a babysitting job.

 Impersonal

E.g. A robot is an impersonal teacher.

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Pin

Ir

 Irrational

E.g. There was nothing inherently irrational in such a decision.

 Irregular

E.g. The shirt was on sale because of irregular stitches

 Irresistible

E.g. My father’s homemade apple pie is irresistible

 Irrelevant

E.g. Music skills are irrelevant in playing baseball.

 Irresponsible

E.g. It is irresponsible to run into traffic.

 Irreparable

E.g. My report is irreparable after my dog chewed it.

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Non

 Nonessential

E.g. I have no money for non-essentials.

 Nonfiction

E.g. I prefer reading non-fiction.

 Nonsense

E.g. You’re talking nonsense!

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Negative Prefixes
In this lesson students practice using negative prefixes. Go over the chart with your
students and have them complete the practice exercises.

Prefix Meaning Examples and Notes

unusual, unfriendly,
unimportant
un   not; the opposite of
“un” is the most common
negative prefix.

inefficient, inappropriate,
ineffective
“in” is the second most
common negative prefix.
Many words that begin with
“in” do not contain prefixes
in not; the opposite of
(insist, initially, insult, for
example). Also, the prefix “in”
has two meanings. It can be
used to mean “not; the
opposite of” or “within” (inside,
in-house, etc.).

im not; the opposite of impossible, imperfect,

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 immeasurable, impartial
Words that take “im” as
a negative prefix always begin
with an “m” or a “p”
(imbalance is the one
exception). However, not all
adjectives that start with an
“m” or “p” take “im” as a
negative prefix (unmistakable,
unpopular, unimportant, for
example).

illegal, illegitimate, illegible,

illiterate, illogical
Words that take “il” as the
negative prefix always begin
il not; the opposite of
with the letter “i”. However,
not all words that begin with “i”
take “il” as a negative prefix
(unlicensed, for example).

irregular, irrational,
irresponsible
ir not; the opposite of Words that take “ir” as
a negative prefix always begin
with the letter “r”.

nonsense, nondairy, nonfiction,

non not
nonprofit, nontoxic

atypical, apolitical,
a not
asymmetrical

used to communicate the deactivate, deconstruct,

de
reversal of an action. declassify, decompose, deform

1. used to communicate the 1. disconnect, disable

dis reversal of an action. 2. disagree, disapprove,
2. not; the opposite of dishonest

misfire, misguide, mislead,

mis   wrongly
misinform

anti against antisocial, anti-inflammatory 

dys bad or difficult dysfunctional, dyslexic 

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Negative Prefix Practice 1: un, in, im, il, and ir

Cut out the words.  Have students separate the words into the following categories:

1. words that take “un” as a negative prefix

2. words that take “in” as a negative prefix
3. words that take “im” as a negative prefix
4. words that take “il” as a negative prefix
5. words that take “ir” as a negative prefix

able equal secure professional rational perfect believable

responsible literate accurate accessible sufficient regular clear

do complete fair common precise fortunate important

relevant polite aware pure efficient grateful justifiable

direct active valid veil mature consistent reversible

comfortable identified effective friendly capable known achievable

legal reliable logical conspicuous appropriate employed usual

expected reasonable flexible willing legitimate adequate certain

patient stable cover replaceable significant possible cooperative

Negative Prefix Practice 2: non, a, de, dis, mis, anti, and dys

Have students fill in the blanks with a word containing a negative prefix.

non
We flew from Tokyo to London without stopping in any other cities. Our flight was
_________.
I’m sorry,  you can’t smoke here. This is a  _________ area.

a
Is this uncommon? Yes, it’s extremely _________.
I don’t understand why the Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for this.
To me, it’s definitely an _________ issue.

de
Is there any way to _________ the alarm on my car? It keeps going off in the middle of
the night.
I’m drinking a lot of water because I don’t want to get __________.
Yelling at your employees is a good way to _________them.

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dis
One of the _________  of operating in the U.S. is the high labor costs.
Some of the runners were _________ for using performance-enhancing drugs.

mis
It might not have been an outright lie, but what he said was definitely _________.
You should always use spell checker to make sure you haven’t _________ anything.
When speaking English to non-native speakers, you should avoid using obscure idioms
to make sure they don’t _________ you.

anti
The doctor prescribed me some _________ to get rid of the infection.
My roommate has been very _________ lately. He spends all his time in his room
playing video games and never comes out to talk.

dys
He comes from a _________ family, but he became successful anyway.
Are you optimistic about the future?  Do you think it will be a utopia or a _________ ?

Answers:
non-stop, non-smoking, atypical, apolitical, deactivate, dehydrated, demotivate,
disadvantages, disqualified, misleading, misspelled, misunderstand, antibiotics,
antisocial, dysfunctional, dystopia

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