# Words needing a suffix/prefix or lacking an opposite

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 19, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289 "2011-08-19T05:59:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/1 "2011-08-19T05:59:37Z")

</div>

It’s common to joke about words like underwhelmed/overwhelmed - can one be just whelmed? Or words like subpar that sound awkward if you try to form the opposite - superpar!? Some words even keep their meaning with opposing prefixes or none at all like inflammable!

Any other good/fun examples?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/2 "2011-08-19T06:00:46Z")

</div>

disgruntled

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![drbhoneydew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@drbhoneydew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbhoneydew)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/3 "2011-08-19T09:39:37Z")

</div>

[This covers a lot of them](http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/how-i-met-my-wife.html)

Gormless used to be matched by gormful. Gorm itself is a rather wonderful old English word that deserves a comeback.

Nocent is the missing logical opposite for innocent.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/4 "2011-08-19T12:45:26Z")

</div>

Moved Cafe Society --\> IMHO.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/5 "2011-08-19T13:18:44Z")

</div>

It was only recently that I learned that you can fenestrate someone.

No, it doesn’t mean failing to throw them out of a window. It means cutting them open.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-needing-a-suffix-prefix-or-lacking-an-opposite/593289/6 "2011-08-19T14:06:58Z")

</div>

> [@drbhoneydew](#):
>
> [This covers a lot of them](http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/how-i-met-my-wife.html)

Would you believe that I read that original article in 1994, and have regretted not keeping it ever since.

Thank you, honeydew!  
mmm