prefix- Not: unhappy.
- Opposite of; contrary to: unrest.
Usage Note: The negative prefix
un- attaches chiefly to adjectives (
unable, unclean, unequal, unripe, unsafe) and participles used as adjectives (
unfeeling, unflinching, unfinished, unsaid), and less frequently to nouns (
unbelief, unconcern, unrest). Sometimes the noun form of an adjective with the
un- prefix has the prefix
in-, as in
inability, inequality, injustice, and
instability. A few stems appear with both prefixes with distinctions of meaning.
Inhuman means “brutal, monstrous,” while
unhuman means “not of human form, superhuman.” • When used with adjectives,
un- often has a sense distinct from that of
non-. Non- picks out the set of things that are not in the category denoted by the stem to which it is attached, whereas
un- picks out properties unlike those of the typical examples of the category. Thus
nonmilitary personnel are those who are not members of the military, whereas someone who is
unmilitary is unlike a typical soldier in dress, habits, or attitudes.
