ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Prefixes›in/im/ir
PrefixLatin
in/im/ir
not, opposite
Latin in- could cancel a quality: inept means not skilled, innocuous means not harmful, and inscrutable means impossible to examine fully.
Words built from it
- inept — having no skill; clumsy
in- (not) + apt (skilled) - inert — lacking the ability to move or act
in- (not) + ars (skill) - impartial — not favoring one side; fair
im- (not) + partial (biased) - innocuous — not harmful or offensive
in- (not) + noc (harm) - insolent — rude and disrespectful
in- (not) + sol (accustomed) - inimical — hostile, unfriendly
in- (not) + imic (friend) - impecunious — having little or no money
im- (not) + pecuni (money) - inscrutable — impossible to understand or interpret
in- (not) + scrut (examine)
Looks like it, but is not
- imminent — from Latin imminere 'to overhang,' with in- 'upon,' not negative in-
- irate — from Latin iratus 'angered,' from ira 'anger,' not the negative ir- prefix
Drill this word part in the app