What does un- mean?
Un- means (added to adjectives or past participles) not.
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/ʌn/ · prefix
(added to adjectives or past participles) not.
un- + educated → uneducated (“not educated”)
un- + conformity → unconformity (“lack of conformity”)
un- + conference → unconference
un- + dress → undress (“to take one's clothes off”)
un- + lock → unlock (“to undo the locking of”)
Un-cry these tears I cried so many nights Un-break my heart
A prefix is an affix that joins to the beginning of another word. Depending on the prefix, it can slightly or significantly alter the meaning of a word. For example, the English prefix “un-” changes a word into its opposite, as from “do” to “undo,” altering its meaning entirely.
un- + cage → uncage (“to release from a cage”)
Use un- when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Un- means (added to adjectives or past participles) not.
Common synonyms include a-, an-, dys-, i-.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
un- + educated → uneducated (“not educated”)
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